Definitions of a Fox
by N.Raining
Summary: Youko Kurama: the strongest demon alive. He has never known a worthy opponent. He has never known anyone that he would ever acknowledge as his enemy. That is...until he meets Botan. YoukoxBotan R&R please.
1. Prologue

Author Notes: Hello, this is Nijiko-chan!! This is my first Fanific .net story so if it sucks, expect it ^_^. Things you have to know, Youko Kurama is still on the loose in Makai and Botan lives in Makai and is human and they're in an era with swords, and yeah. Okay, on with the story!!!  Enjoy!!!

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_Chapter one: Prologue_

"There's the thief, get him!" cried a man's voice

            "Where is he, I can't see…" another voice answered, but was cut off as a blood curdling scream filled the cool, night air and a large amount of blood was heard splashed onto the ground. The man fell to the ground in two.  

Footsteps could be heard as someone ran to where the corpse had fallen.  A teenaged boy could be seen running to the scene just a meter away.  

"Akikawa, Akikawa…" he screamed, "what happened?!"   Reaching the ghastly scene, he gasped.  Blood soaked the once lush, green grass and the ground was already turned into a deep red mud.   

In the shadows of the night he could see that the corpse was cut straight through the waist and the man's face showed that he had died instantly.  Looking up from the ground the boy drew a shocked breath.  In front of him stood a tall man whose long silver hair and elegant clothing were stained and dripping a crimson liquid.  Propped on his head were two silver fox ears and he had cold, piercing amber eyes that looked as if it were staring into the boy's soul.  He held in one hand a long green, spiked whip that trickled blood.  He smiled at the boy, showing his great enjoyment in what he was doing.

"Hello," he said charmingly

Anger suddenly enveloped the teenage boy as tears started to slowly roll down his cheeks.

            "Youko, you killed my friend and you _will_ die today, by my sword!"

            "Is that so?" replied Youko calmly, he was really finding this amusing.  Could that little boy really think of fighting him?

            "Yes, say goodbye Youko!" the boy screamed as he ran toward Youko, sword raised.

            Youko lifted his whip to lash out at the boy. When the two weapons met, the whip went against the boy's blocking sword and the impact caused the boy to slide back unharmed. As the boy was recovering from the force of the kitsune's attack, Youko thrashed out with his whip once again.  The boy saw it coming and instead of blocking, he ran to the side, just missing the whip's touch.  He turned back to charge at Youko and when he was two feet in front of him, Youko pulled the whip back and lashed it forward, its reach long enough to get behind the boy.  The whip tore through the flesh of the boy's back from behind and the boy froze on contact.  His eyes opened wide with surprise and agony and he splurted out blood as he fell forward.   

The kitsune looked down at the body in front of him and a small gasp escaped as he saw the boy shudder violently.  He slowly rose his head, wincing in pain and spitting up blood.  Youko stared at shock and disbelief as the boy gradually rose from the ground and stood on his feet.  He grunted in pain and then took his tear filled eyes of the ground to meet his opponent's face.

            Youko smiled slightly to himself, the boy was stronger than he seemed.

            "I don't believe that that attack didn't kill you.  You're stronger than you seem.  But I assure you that you will die today."

The boy gasped for air.

"I'm not done yet kitsune." He said, shakingly raising his sword. 

            Youko drew the spiked whip back again and sent it straight for the boy's chest.  The teenager was able to prevent contact.  But in doing so, the tip of the whip was sharp enough and contains enough power from Youko's thrust to go through the sword, putting a spike as an anchor in it.  The kitsune immediately pull the whip back toward him, yanking the weapon out of the boy's hand.  He thrust it to the side, hitting it against a tree.  The collision pulverized it and created a large crater in the tree.  

Youko smirked.  He thrashed the whip for the boy's left shoulder.  The teenager dodged it easily by moving to the right of the whip, but didn't see the smiled that adorned Youko's face. Instantly, the kitsune whipped it to the side, hitting the side of the boy's chest.  A scream ripped through the air and blood splashed onto the already drenched ground. The boy held his side, gasping for air.  The boy raised his pain-stricken eyes to meet the fox demon's golden orbs.   Footsteps could be heard approaching them from a distant 50 yards away.

            "My you are a stubborn one to die," the fox said as he raised his whip for the final blow.  He aimed right at the heart.  The boy rolled to the side, landing on his new wound in agony.              

The fox demon smiled again as he quickly drew the whip back and aimed straight at the heart of the wounded form.  The boy's eyes opened wide as the whip pierced through his side.  Then there was a moment of silence as the victim dropped his sword and splurted out blood as the murderer pulled the whip out of his body. He clutched his side in agony, fighting to breath.  He looked over to his assassin, eyes opened with shock and pain until he finally fell back, closing his eyes as he reached the ground.  The killer smiled to himself in satisfaction, then turned around and descended into the darkness. 


	2. Stumbling Blindly Into

Hello, Nijiko-Chan here!!! Thanks for your reviews guys!!! Even though there were only 3, if I get any reviews, it would make me happy.  If I had got one, I would still be all giddy in delight that at least one person liked my work.  So I'm really happy.  A big Thank You to all that reviewed. ^_^ And on with the story.  Oh, and one more note, I'm going to guess that Botan is Buddhist, and umm, in the following situation in the chapter, at them, they were white, not black, well in modern days they can wear black but this story is back then, oh well.  Sorry, I only know info about one kind of Buddhism, I don't really know Zen Buddhism which would be in Japan, but hey, just go with the story.  Ok, that's all I gotta say, so, on w/ the story, Enjoy!! (if possible, it could be so bad you might not like it, ohh, *starts bickering with myself, freaking out, someone throws a rock at my head and I shut up*, enjoy!!!) 

Disclaimer: I don't YYH. -_-;

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Chapter Two: Stumbling Blindly Into 

            Rain moistened wind blew cerulean colored hair into the face of a young women as tears slowly flowed down her face.  She looked around her at the faces mirroring her own.  The white of their clothes blew with the breath of the wind and made them stand out amongst the gray of the sky, and dull brown of the earth.  Botan rose a hand to push the strands of hair away from her face just as a powerful gust of wind and rain once again stuck her body.  She shivered, but did not feel the coldness that ran through her body.  Her pink eyes held a deep sadness within them that numbed it far more than the storm could ever.  

She watched as a carved, lacquered chestnut-colored box was lowered into the ground and the tears that had stopped momentarily started once again to well in her eyes.  A lump formed in her throat as she tried to hold them back and she tightened her hold on her mother's hand as she heard her let out another heart wrenching sob that shook her body.  

Botan looked down at her mother's bowed head that shook as she tried to calm her tears.  Her mother reached her hands up and clasped Botan's shoulders, weeping silently.  Botan placed her hands lightly on her back, trying to comfort her.  She tried to hold back her tears, trying to show her bravery.

"It's O.K. mother, I miss him too."  She said as her tears choked her throat and threatened to come back again.  She looked to her left, at the craved box that had been lowered into the ground, memories slowly passing in her head.  She looked to the grave's side and saw the flowered wreaths that were given by funeral guests and family members to the dead.  

A man stood in front of one, picking out the nicest flowers to pass out to the mourners.  Botan looked to side as one man tapped her, offering her a flower to throw into the burial hole.  She chose a  rose and peony, handing the peach-colored peony to her mother.  Her mother let go of her shoulders and took the flower, casting it into the grave to lay atop her son's coffin.  Then she walked away, leaving Botan to stand in front on the crypt alone.  She looked into the deep hole, tears clouding and obscuring her vision.  

She looked at the rose in her hand and brought it close to her nose, smelling it's sweet scent one last time before it would enter its place of darkness.  She closed her eyes, trying to remember its sweet fragrance.  Her mind suddenly blanked and her eyes darted open, her tears gone and instead replaced with a determined gaze.  She threw the rose into the grave, though her eyes remained fixed on it even when it had reached the smooth lacquered surface of the coffin.  She turned her pink eyes to the ground then the sky, then closed them, allowing her mind to race.  

            The person that lay in the coffin had been a large part of her life and now he was gone in one night.  Anger suddenly flashed within her, its dark flame embedding itself in Botan's mind.  She gritted her teeth, willing it to go away but at no avail.  Her mind replay memories of the deceased person over and over again.  And all the while it pondered:   

_This person did not need to die, he was only protecting his country, it wasn't fair for him to die!_

Pictures of happiness, comfort, and pain they had shared together filed through her head as the stream of tears on her face started to flow more rapidly once again.  She fell to the ground clutching her head and staring at the soaked ground, the mud discoloring her white clothing as it splashed up from her weight.  Members of her family ran over to her touching her shoulder to help her up, but she refused and shrugged them away.  Tear coursed their way down her cheek as her mind screamed with grief.  Sadness tugged at her heart as she came to the biggest decision of her life. __

_I swear that I will avenge you one day.  I'll get revenge for you one day big brother._

Well, how did you like it? It was good wasn't it, admit it, actually it sucked, didn't it, oh, well, I don't know, I'm weird. O_o Well, remember: click the button, Read and review!!!  I'll try to update as soon as I can. Oh, and if you have any questions/concerns, feel free to tell me when you review!^_^

Thank you to my reviewers!!!(**reviewer-**note to reviewer): **Eunjung**- You're my first reader, ever, thanks a lot!! ** Fire Gemron-**Thank you lots, gald you're interested and want me to continue** Lady Nightshade-** Thanks!!!^^ I thought my action scenes were to wordy or just too much, but I'm glad you don't think so!!!

Keep reviewing guys!!!


	3. My Sources

Hello everyone, I was so happy when I got so many reviews this time!!! I checked it the day after Christmas and it was like a late Christmas gift!!! And today, I got two more reviews!!! I'm so excited(and I'm trying to figure out why) and happy!!!!  I'm sorry I didn't update for so long (has it really been that long?_?) but you know, when I don't feel like writing and I write anyways, my writing sucks!!!!! So I'm feeling like I'm in the writing mood today so,…here I am!!! (aren't you happy!!!^^)  And how was guys' new years? My was good and spent with my family^^.  Anyways, well, next thing I want to do is thank all my peoples/reviewers.  Jus t to let chall (you all) know, I am…a lazy bum and I don't want to type all my reviewers beautiful and lovely names down, so instead, if I have something to say to you I will wirite it down, if not, well just know I give you a HUGE THANIK YOU!!!!!!! *screams it at top of lungs*.

**chloe-dominique17**** –here, I continued!!! ^^ *curls into ball, and hides in corner* please don't kill me… Thanks a lot!!! Enjoy!**

**Eunjung**-Muhahahaha, aren't I evil, making them hate each other…Muhahaha.  Ahem, actually I never said she hated him, did I…?_? Well, okay, I guess it's pretty obvious…T_T *tear-eyed* why do you have to be so smart!!!! Just kidding, I glad you figured that out, if not well, then that would be sad, but you are smart, I'm just kidding that I'm not mad!!!!  You read a lot of romance fics don't you? You probabely see where this story is going, but, *mischievous grin* maybe the story may take some unexpected turns!!! Muhahahaha, *coughes, chokes* Hmm,… I'm alright, I'll continue the story, don't worry, I won't die and end the story.

**psychopath143-I love your name!!!!**

**crazy nixie-Thanks, I didn't know anyone would see my story posted, since I updated so long ago, but then again, I don't remember when I last updated. ^_^;**

**Leiko**** Sagatori- Thanks, I didn't know anyone would see my story posted, since I updated so long ago, but then again, I don't remember when I last updated. ^_^;**

O.K. , Thanks to everybody else who updated!!! Before I start the story,  I gotta give ya all info to understand/visualize my fic better.*puts on glasses, and one of those graduation hats with the flippy string thing and a stick*  So I'll be the (in my mind) unwanted job of a teacher today!!! (I never thought I'd do this…)

Ahem… ok, everyone we are learning Japanese weapons today.

This is a katana, it's said the more beautiful it is, the shaper it is and more easier it is to kill.  It's really sharp(really*gasp* no!!!) and is slightly curved.  It's also really long, or something like that.

This is the Wakizashi/Kodachi(what Aoshi from Rurouni Kenshin uses ^^) it's worn indoor by samurai because it's smaller in length than the katana.  It's kinda like a mini katana.

This is the Tanto, a knife made from the same material as the previous two weapons, it could be worn instead of the Kodachi. 

These pics and info was learned from 

Oh, yeah, there is a time change in the story, it'll explain, so if you're confused, it's expected, so don't get fustrated and scream at me. Oh, (got  I gotta a lot of things to say!) Sensei: teacher in Japanese. Also, Japanese address each other very formally, and used things like "-chan" and "-kun" at the end of a persons name(last or first I think), or if they do not know the person well, they just say their last name.  I use "-sama" in my fic, which is to address, higher people than you, or bosses, or something like that, an official who use should respect? Someone explain!!!!

Ok that's all ya gotta know, I think… now, finally, on with the story!!! Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: YYH doesn't belong to me, I would have the money or brilliance to maintain or think of it.  Plus I would get to frustrated trying to draw the same character over and over again in a manga. -_- 

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_Chapter Three: My Sources_

Metal clashed against metal as two kodachis met in combat.

            "Is that all you've got…you're such a weak apprentice!" shouted a dark haired young man to his female opponent

            "Shut up!" Botan shouted back, aiming her weapon to his side. Her master blocked it raising his blade to counter her attack.  Catching her off guard, her grabbed her other arm and forced it behind her back raising his former defending weapon to push lightly against her neck.

            "I win again" he replied with a smile

            "I hate you, you know that!"  She said aggressively, "Let me go!" 

            Letting her go, he frowned, waiting for her to catch her breath from the fight.  She slowly turned around, glaring at her sensei with hatred.

            "You really haven't improved at all and you said you've been training!  At this rate you'll never be able to defend yourself and you'll die fighting!  Do you **want** to beat Youko?!  You said you wanted to be as good as any man, but now I see you'll never be anything but a little girl."

            "No, I will get stronger.  I'll fight you again!"  She readied herself into a fighting stance and glared at her opponent.

            "No, I don't think I will, Botan.  You're not worthy of my time and effort." Replied the man as he started to walk out of the dojo.

            "Wait, Master Kisho!"  She shouted

            He turned, eyes glowing with flames of annoyance and anger and replied harshly, "Never use my name, you may only call me Master!  Stupid girl."

            Botan lifted herself from her stance and looked down.  She quietly lowered herself to the ground; her legs sprawled on the floor.  She had been training for two years now since her brother's death, much to her family's disapproval who didn't know her reason for it at all.  She had given all her heart and soul into training and still she could not compare to her master who was only but one year older than her.  She sighed, and picked herself off the floor, walking into the guestroom of the dojo to change out of her training outfit.  She slipped into a waitress' work kimono, and walked out of the dojo, carrying her hidden weapons in a cloth.  Walked down the street, she ignored the countless demons that would scorn and mock her, whispering about the humans and how they thought they were the weakest of all beings.  She sighed as walked into a busy restaurant, depressed with the inability to be able to please her master or herself with her combat skills.  Walking passed a throng of fiends waiting to be seated, she addressed an old horned demon, trying to place a grin on her face, "Hello Takayoshi-sama, how are you today?" 

            "Oh, Botan, it's good to see you come in once in a while to work.  I'm busy and can't talk at the moment, so can you just get to work?"

            "Of course."  Botan replied.  She passed the old man, walking into the staff room.  She strode tiredly over to her small locker at the end of the room and put her prized wakizashis and trainingg outfit in.  She sighed again and exited into a bustling hallway, countless voices reaching her ears.  She walked into a small filled room that branched from the hall and tried to feign happiness.  She looked at the two people who sat on the floor facing a table and asked to take their orders as she had so many times in the past to so many others.  As she took down their meal, she overheard a conversation in the next room.  Drunk on sake the voices went on without considering the possibility of anyone listening. 

            "Yeah, did you hear?  They say Youko is at it again, last night he went to that small village over the mountain and robbed them blind, killing the 28 police officers there and 3 pavilions!" A voice said.

            "Shh, be quiet, this is a public place." A second voice warned.

            "Come on, no one can hear us, it's too freakin' loud in here anyways."  A third more laidback one countered.              

            "Someone could be listening, shhhh!"  The second voice advised cautiously.

            Botan walked away from her table, curious about the conversation.  She entered the kitchen asking for the dishes of the room that held the three voices.  She lifted the dishes and headed toward the room.  Calling through the screen door, she entered and saw that the occupants were policemen.  

Passing out the dishes, they foolishly decided to continue their conversation.  

            "That darn Youko, he's been on the loose for so long it's a surprise that no one has caught him yet.  Even our best spies can't catch him for some reason.  They should all be fired, they're just taking all our money and doin' no work."  The third voice said angrily.

            "Hey, ya hear?" The first voice whispered, "It's said that he's goin' ta probably to strike at the Iwata village.  We should all get there early as to find Youko ourselves and catch 'im and then we'd get a promotion."  

            "Ya all shut up, ye hear?!"  Replied the second voice angrily, "We ain't goin' ta keep talkin' in public like this.  Now our food is here, so Miss please take this sake away."

            Asked to leave, Botan obediently walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.  She couldn't believe her luck.  For weeks, she had dreamed of the day she would defeat the thief, the day she would take her revenge. She needed this kind of information and it had come willingly and unexpectantly to her.  As she walked to the small bar in the corner of the kitchen her mind continued to think. Though she had found where he was going to be, she had no idea as to when he was to show up; and waiting idly by in a fighter's costume, being a girl, in broad daylight waiting for him wasn't to her liking. 

Thinking back to the policemen's conversation, she thought of going back to see if any more of what they would said what be of some use to her.  But, from the sternness in the voice of the second man, it was likely they wouldn't leak anymore information.  But in desperation, she waited until they called her back in for something, but they never did.  They left an hour later, not uncloaking another piece of information.  But yet, she still needed more to fulfill her plans to confront the kitsune, and, much to her loathing, it seemed the only way to get this information was to get it herself, tonight, when she was expected to be at an important gathering.        

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So there you go!!!  Hope you liked it, actually, I thought my other chapters might have been better than this, even though I'm in a kinda writing mood today, I also feel like going out somewhere, watching a movie or something.  Ugh, maybe tomorrow.  Oh well, I hope you like this chappy (more than me hopefully).  Hey can anyone explain that "-kun,-chan" and stuff to me. And can someone also explain why my first chapter, (my prologue) is called a default chapter? Ugh,… oh well, I'll try to update soon, possibly even tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon or night or around there.  Well, remember,…R and R (Read and review, right? Someone help me, I'm clueless. T_T


	4. Curse

Hi!!! I'm so happy, people like my story!!!!! ^_^ Thank you to all my reviewers!!!! Yes, I finally updated, sorry, but at least it's a longer chapter than the others, I think, well it's that way on the comp screen, so I made up for it.  Hey, I'm also sorry if I ever say I'll update one day and then it's not there. It's because of the terrible way of uploading. When you update (you all know), it's updated, then it shows up 24 hrs later, oh well, it's all fair, I guess, (it makes my fanfic show up closer to the top of the 1st page of YYH stories at least!!!^^ *all happy and dancing*).  Oh, and it's great, I got so many new reviewers!!!! I'm so happy!!!! Welcome new comers (to becoming one of my reviewers? Whatever.) O.k., since school has started up again (ugh, that sucks…), I'll probably only be able to update on Fri's from now on, which means it'll show up updated on Sat. (but then again, if you search my story, you'll probably get it very late Fri. night, maybe).  I know, bad news, but hey, at least after I'm done saying all I need to say, you can look forward to reading my ficcie.  …You all probably want me to shut-up now, don't you, well ok then, (even I want to shut-up…-_-) Ok, enjoy then!!!!  Oh, and I know you want me to shut up but you all imagine Botan with a pony tail unless I say not to alright, right?!!!^^; 

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_Chapter Four (he, he, he^_^, yay): Curse_

In the cloak of night, a figure crept through the darkness of the unfamiliar neighborhood.  Dressed in gloves, a tight Chinese-fashioned long-sleeve and skin-tight pants, all the same color of the sky, she moved through the blackness with ease.  She climbed up a ladder leaning against a house, and followed its frame up to the roof of the building.  As she adorned the rooftop, a gust of wind hit her, blowing the solid black bandana that crowned her head and forcing her pink eyes to narrow as they searched for a certain building.  Her hands went to her belt in which two handles rose and apprehension started to surge into her body as she did so.  

Anxiety ran through her veins, coursing its way into her stomach and finally forming a knot that hung suspended in her belly. She touched the hilt of her two swords, the knot swinging ever so slightly, as if it could break at any unexpected moment.  She turned her eyes back to her surroundings, imagining the time when her weapons would prove their worth, the time it would come to use them to defend herself and to justify her brother's death.  Her mouth parched and she suddenly was filled with a fear that oozed around the lump of her abdomen.  She glanced dully into the night, envisioning the horror that would quickly adorn the face of the victim of her blade, if there would ever come to be one tonight.    

And yet, as she visualized her ultimate target, his forbidding face, she found herself to fall into another state of mind.  Her mind blanked, nothing came to it what so over, she only envisioned his still form, his still mighty body, laying on the red-soaked ground before her.  And she learned that when his time was near, when she would watch him die on the floor, she would not feel anything, for she would be starring right at him, her devoted mind, empty with wonder, with satisfaction, with glory, with a haughty pride that would send an insane smirk upon her face.  

            She quietly jumped off the roof, landing on the next house and peering into the black for any signs of the building she was looking for.  Her dark side reseeding into the depths of her mind, she spotted its double story structure and leapt onto the next house's top, and the next, until she finally dropped onto the ground in front of the building.  She peered into one of its few filthy windows and saw a sleepy guard on duty.  The edges of her lips curled up slightly and taking the cloth that had a moment ago flowed over her hair; she tied it over her mouth and nose.  She reached into a pocket of her belt and took out a small capsule, its shiny surface glimmering with the first lights of the evening's moon.  She looked at the capsule for half a moment, only a half-second, when her mind had just for an instant thought of this night's decisions.  And yet, as she looked over to the window, she saw the half moon's reflection gleaming on it, and she found herself staring.  

She gazed at its still shining form, at its piece of radiant surface obscured by the darkness of it missing half and the illuminating light that shone from it.  And after her sane and insane minds battled to take control, she reluctantly pushed the thought away.  And she pulled the hook off the capsule, and threw it at the window, shattering its foggy glass and filling the inner room with smoke and shards of light.  And if anyone were to look at the sky at that moment and happen to see the great sphere that hung suspended from invisible wires, they would see that the half slice of the moon that had shone before had now succumbed to show only a small sliver of the silver orb.   

            "Hey, what is this?  Who's there? Cried a muffled voice from inside the building. 

            Botan sprinted away as the sleeping gas started to arise in the building, and looking back at the police station, she smirked.  She watched as the smoke diminished, the clear surrounding air shooting its tiny bullets into the smoke's body until it had become too small to see at all, and disappeared. She approached the window again, retrieving a pointed metal object from her waist.  Carefully, she stuck her slender arm through the broken window and picked the lock.  She lifted the window's heavy wooden frame and climbed through the newly created opening.  Inside she glanced at the still form that laid on the earth.  The unconscious man had a cloth covering his mouth, and his eyes were closed and solemn.  Botan stared at him for a few moment which seemed to last an eternity, and was expressionless.  Her mind had changed, no longer did it know the meaning of care, it had taken on the mind of an outcast, a thief, a murder; her mind only knew how to survive for itself.  

She walked past the unconscious man and toward a heavy gray door, its cold surface scratched from years of use.  Turning its brass doorknob, she pushed her weight against the cool metal and entered its adjoining room. Her eyes were met with a set of six compartments.  She walked along the aisle that separated them three and three and then walked back to its beginning.  Eyes stared at her suspiciously from within all the cubicles, each pair holding at tint of ice and gleaming with loath.  She looked among herself, watching the eyes stare into her own, and ignoring their inner fire and threat, she took a breath and said: "O.K. everyone, I might let you all out if some of you tell me anything about Youko Kurama."

            "Hey, how do we know you'll actually let us go after we tell ya?"  A dirty man questioned from his cell to her right. 

            "Well if you do know something about him, if it's good information about him, I'll let you go."  She concluded, walking up to the first cell. 

            Inside was a pretty, dusty female kitsune demon.  Her loose big clothes shifting as she gazed up at her questioner.  She smiled slightly, her sad, clouded sapphire eyes peering up into Botan's, as if reaching for some answer. She paused, unsure for a second, and looked to the ground, then looked up again and her eyes held a new emotion.

            "I'd help you sweetie if I knew where he was myself, but I don't." she said, then looked away. 

            Botan smiled, "Thank you." and as she walked to the next cell, she tried to not bother about the darkness that had shadowed the fox's eyes as she answered.    

            "And how about you?" Botan questioned a one-eyed demon.

            "Hmm, should I tell you?"  The demon asked himself with his British accent.  "Well, I'll be getting out soon anyways, so I will tell you.  From what your have done to get into this room I assume you must be desperate to find Kurama.  Well then, you must know that he is predicted to attack the Iwata village."  Botan nodded.  "Yes, well, it is true.  It is said to be at night, predicted around 9 o'clock pm in the next night.  Yes, that is it, that is all I will tell you."

            Botan nodded. "Thank you very much sir."  She replied with a small smile and walked on to the next cubicle, then the next, and the next, and after questioning the prisoners, and getting no information, she went to the last cell.  

"Do you have anything to tell me?" she questioned the demon inside.  He wore a black vest and pants, buckles adorning both as well as his bare arms.  From his back sprouted two great black wings and encircling his neck was a silver chain that held up a beautiful red pendant.  He lifted his dark eyes off the ground to meet hers. 

            "What do you want?" He asked coldly.

            "Tell me about Youko."

            "I have many things I could tell you, but I will tell you nothing."  He replied sternly.

            "And why can't you tell me these things?"

            "Why do you seek Youko," he queried, "If it is something to my disliking, I will not tell you anything."

            "Then I do not think you will give me any information."  Botan replied, turning away from him.

            She left his cell and walked back up to the front of the aisle.  She turned one last time to the rows of jail cells and shouted, "Thank you everyone.  Hopefully you will not report to the police one that will probably end up in jail anyways."  And with that she walked out of the room, side glancing at the guard who now shook slightly.  

She stopped, shock and fear racing even quicker through her veins as she realized how much time she had used up.  The knot within her stomach swung, spinning and swaying in circles as she ceased to feel the throbbing of her heart.  The guard looked up and she ran for the door.  The man drew his gun and loud pops filled the night's quiet silence.  Botan gasped as something grazed her stomach.  She paused, then fell to her knees, touching her bleeding wound lightly.  The guard stood up, now looming down pathetically over her as she slowly turned her head to the face him, her eyes were soulless as she felt a object pushed against her head, the guard's finger ready to pull its trigger.  A lump choked her and denied her breath, but in an instant's thinking, she unsheathed her wakizashi as quick as lightning and used its hilt to knock the gun out of the guard's hand.  Smoothly reaching behind her grasped her other weapon, she mindlessly stabbed it into the man's stomach.  He gasped, holding the area under his wound, struggling to catch his breath.  He pulled the sharp instrument out, and using it, lunged forward to pierce Botan.  She quickly rolled to the side, the dull side of the blade brushing her arm.  The kodachi stabbed the earth, and became reluctant to disconnect itself.  The man abandoned the weapon and tried to walk to his gun but leaking blood, he dropped tiredly to the floor. 

Pink eyes watched in horror as he grunted in pain, her mind undecided as to abandon the man or flee.  But her decision was made in an instant as she heard footstep echoing through the streets.  The string holding up the lump within her abdomen vibrated as she attempted to calm down.  But as her breath speed, she was rushed unexpectantly into a state of panic.  Using all her might she pulled her weapon out of the ground, causing the earth to spill its dry brown blood into her face and around its wound.  She ran out of the building as little lights shone onto her clothing.

"Hey you, stop there!  Police, stop now!!" a voice hollered at her, and all at the same time commanding the guns behind him to fire.  Miraculously dodging bullets, Botan melted into the darkness of the night and nearby forest, shuddering in the cold as she raced on.  Her heart challenged her speed as she ran, its pulse beating her by countless yards till it was slowed by the happiness of the sight of its lighted neighborhood.  Botan jumped a fence and turned into an alley, running between the surrounding walls. Happiness and security surged into her body as she saw an abandoned farmhouse. She slowed her pace and approached its old double doors. 

She creaked the doors open and climbed an old ladder up to the hay troft where she quickly dug out a rough sack and glancing at the sky, the moon's now half form almost halfway to the top of the sky, she realized it was far too late to be getting ready for her meeting.  But never the less she needed to and she opened the bag, digging her fingers into its smooth contents and lifting it out. She threw the silky material onto her back and encircled her arms in it.  From her pocket she took a roll of bandages and applied a layer of it around her waist, covering her wound.  Turning back to her bag, she took out another thicker object than the first and closing the gap of the smooth material that hung from her body, she covered her whole body in it.  Then taking the thicker object, she slipped it around her thin waist, gently placing her two kodachis in between the two silken layers.  She tied the second piece into a bow on her back and sitting down, she quietly sighed, and took deep breaths.  The personality that had taken over her body at the jail had long unknowingly disappeared and was now replaced with the sensation of relief, horror and weariness.  She pulled off her hair band, combing her hair with her fingers.  Then looking out the large window to her right, she sighed again. 

The sky reminded her of her brother, how he would talk about how lovers would always gaze at the stars together and how when he would find his special someone, he would do the same.  She remembered the numerous wedding nights when he would say this to her, when he would always talk to her and encourage her to join in on some games the newlywed couple would play and how he would tease her about how terrible her wedding would be.  But she would never get mad at his teasing, she would just ignore them, and instead, relish the time she had with him.  But now, he was no longer there, and there would be no teasing or encouragements, she would never hear his desires of finding his someone again.  She would be completely alone tonight in their unnoticed corner, telling herself over and over how she didn't know the couple and that she didn't care about them and how she wanted her brother back and how she wanted his murderer to die.  

And at this thought she stopped lacing her fingers through her hair and looked away from the black sky.  Her mind suddenly infatuated with the events of the night, even as she climbed her way down the ladder and proceeded into the night.  Her mind overfilled with hatred as she walked down a busy street, her thoughts tracing back to a silver-haired being, to his cold golden glare and his merciless ability to kill.  She decided in a powerful instant that, though as unprepared as she felt she was, that she would finally reach the pinnacle of the past two years tomorrow at the Iwata village.  There she would fight him and watch him slowly die on the ground before her, before she would disappear into the darkness, not caring for any recognition she would get for the assassination of the great thief.  

Her mind continued to contemplate her plan to victory as she entered a grand lavish restaurant and sat in her corner, eyes of her family happily glancing at her in relief at her appearance.  Her mind suddenly loss all control as she once again started to visualize her victory; ignoring the voice that screamed in her head the unfortunate luck that would come from such wicked thoughts on such a happy occasion.  A slight smirk slowly appeared upon her lips, her eyes staring into oblivion.  And with that, the wedding began, spirits cursing her good fortune.

---------------------------

There we go, I updated! And for you all, Buddhists believe you're suppose to think good thoughts on good occasions, so I didn't make it up.  I hope you liked it, and hopefully you won't kill me because Youko and Botan didn't meet yet!!! ^_^; But I promise you that they will meet next chapter, I promise!!!  Ok, Read and review!!!! Oh, and since you all needed me to shut up in my Author notes before the story, here are my notes to reviewers, I'm writing to all my reviewers today!!!^_^. Oh, and if anyone else want to know about the "-chan", "-kun" and such, thanks to **Eunjung****, frith, animeactionfan, and Volpone** (sorry, but I just was too lazy to copy and paste all your replies for the "-chan", etc stuff, but this is the first I received, but it's all greatly appreciated!!!  You're all so smart!!!!), it's all cleared up and this explanation is from **Eunjung** (note: this is addressed from me so pretend it's your user name instead of mine):
    
    When people are familiar to each other, instead of using "-sama" 
    
    (Lord/Lady/Master) or "-san" (Mister/Miss) (like, I'm not too familiar with 
    
    you, so I used Nijiko-sama), they use "-kun" (masculine) or "-chan" 
    
    (feminine). Sometimes "-chan" can be used for both girls and boys, 
    
    particularly when a girl gives her boyfriend/guyfriend a cute nickname. For 
    
    example, Botan (with her bubbly personality) can call Kurama "Kurama-chan" 
    
    or Hiei "Hiei-chan" for a cutesy affect. Of course, Youko and Hiei 
    
    would probably be annoyed as hell for such a nickname.
    
    ::bows:: Well, I hope I cleared SOMETHING up for you instead of 

confusing you more.

Reviewer notes:

**Eunjung****-**Thanks, that really cleared something up for me!! Thanks a lot, and I promise Youko and Botan will meet next chapter, I'm not sure if you'll like what will happen but, nevertheless I hope you do.  

**Lady Nightshade**: yep, some Youko/Botan action coming up, as you can probably tell from this chapter.

**LizInc****:** Welcome and I'm glad you liked it.  They'll meet next chapter.

**Vx2**: Welcome and *screams* Thank You So Much!!!! I didn't think my style of writing was that good. Thanks!!!  I hope to update soon!!!!

**Akkina**: Wow!!!! I'm so happy!!!! You read my story!!!! Thanks for considering and actually reading it!!!!  Oh, and welcome!!!! Even though you never really thought of Youko and Botan as a couple, I still thank you for reading it.  Don't worry, I think there are more Shuiichi (spelling?)/Botan people out there anyways, and I'm one of them, but you see, I'm special, I'm Youko/Botan **and** a Shuiichi/Botan person. *smiles triumphantly*.  Ok even of me boasting, Thank You so much for reading and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, so I hope to get a review from you again!!!!^^ Oh, and what is Ja ne? ?_?

**Animeactionfan****:** yeah, I guess, one (next one) coming up!!! Sorry, I'm just starting out, so there'll be more actiony scenes, (at least I think there will be, not sure what's gonna happen yet for sure yet^^)Oh, and do you watch Cardcaptor Sakura?  Those names you gave me are from them.^^

**RSMB:** Thanks!!!^_^, and are you hyper when you were reviewing my ficcie? Sounded so, but hyper people are always so much fun to hang around.^^  And is chicken Mr. Cookie-head a real person or caused by a happy reaction? Sorry don't know one,…^^

**Galandria**** the Vampire Queen:Thanks**!!!!  Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!  

**Frith**: Yeah your reading my story!!!! *all happy, poppin streamers.  Thanks for considering to read it!!!  And…please don't hit me!!!*covers head* ^_^;.  Sorry if I insulted you by saying you didn't want to read it or forgot, and I understand, time is a problem these days…sigh, sucks.  And did you have fun playing sims?  Looks fun (never played it).  And I didn't think my fic was that great, but thanks!!!!  And *scream at top of lungs* Thank You so Much for putting my on you fav stories list!!!!^^ I feel so honred!!! Oh and(god I gotta lota things to say) thanks for 2 reviews, making me look good.^_^

**Youko-Botanlove**: Yes!! Another Youko/Botan dedicated person, besides myself, (well actually don't know bout everyone else).  Oh, and about the hate emails, well you see,…I didn't check my email till today, so really it's not fair.  You see, at my school, they load us with homework, and I never get a chance to check my mail till weekends or on Fridays, all our HW is suppose to help you for college or something…ugh.  Well, continue reading!!!!  Oh, and do you think it's hard to find Youko/Botan ficcies, I find some, but you see, I think most people put Kurama, which is not specific.  Want to recommend some? I would appreciate it.

**Volpone**: Thanks for considering to read my ficcie!!!^^ Oh, and I really am enjoying Thief!, it's good, actually I gotta go read the rest, I'm only on chapter 7, ugh… oh well, keep reading!!! Pretty please?

**Hann-chan**: yay, you all are reading it !!^^ Thanks for the compliments, wow, your like, printing my book, gotta print it at school too, not my ink.^^; And yay, aren't I gifted child?^^   

Ok, that's it, and I know it may need more action but it does say romance in the story pop up thing on fan fic.  They'll be more action in the next chapter, promise. See ya all next Sat (and from now on, if I say on blah blah day, that is the day it will show up updated).  Oh, and side note, am I on anyones fav author or ficcie list except **frith *hands** frith** a cookie*  Please tell me if so, if not that's ok^^.  See ya all later, keep the reviews coming!!!**


	5. Taisho

Hello, it's Nijiko-chan!!  What happened to all my lovely reviewers? -_- (boo hoo) where are you all, did you ditch me…? Boo hoo, *perks up* oh well, I will still be there for all my other reviewers who come back to me, (I'm) so loved. ^_^ Hey did ya all get the moon stuff I wrote in the forth chapter? It was about the moon getting smaller? Well I don't know if any of you noticed, but that symbolizes how Botan's dark side took over, you know, dark and light side of moon? Get it? (spending way to much time in English class….^_^;) Ugh, oh well, I just wanted you guys to know it wasn't a random thing.  Well anyways, on with the story!!! 

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_Chapter Five: Taisho_

'Taisho, Taisho, wait!' a little girl cried, her tied blue hair bobbing up and down as  she sped up to walk alongside her older brother.

_The dark-haried boy slowed his pace, and waited as his sister caught up. He smiled down at her, her young face flushed from the running._

_'Taisho! You never wait for me.' the girl cried, ' how come you don't wait for me?'_

_The boy's grin grew, and replied: 'Of course I'm waiting for you, didn't I just do it?'_

_The words that came from his mouth bewildered the little girl, his voice, though speaking plainly cheerful, sounded mature for his childish age._

_'But Taisho,' the girl wined, 'you always go so fast! You know I can't keep up!'_

_Her brother's sapphire eyes twinkled. 'Of course you can keep up, and if you can't, don't worry.  I'll protect you and wait for you.' He said, offering his hand.  His sister grabbed it, but then let go seconds later._

_            'I can fight too,' the youngster countered, motioning punches with her hands 'I'll help you big brother!'  Losing her balance, the girl fell back into little arms that held her up unsteadily.  She got to her feet and looked up at her big brother, her light ruby eyes twinkling with wonder._

_            'But Taisho,…I want to help you.  I can be a fighter when I grow up too! Just like you'll be! I can be a police man, I can!'_

_            Her brother's face dropped, but a kind grin came upon it in a second's time._

_            'I don't want you to be a fighter Botan, I don't want you to get hurt.  Fighting doesn't always bring good things either. It can bring bad things too.  But you never know which you'll get.'_

_            'But what if I get a good one?' she asked, excitement piping in her voice._

_            'Maybe. You'll never know.  But I hear it's usually bad.' Taisho added with a frown._

_            'Well I'm lucky Taisho, I'll get something good of it!'_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

            Flames danced as panic rose in the woken village.  The red-orange dancers licked the rooftops of houses with their elegant dresses, crumbling it as their occupants scrambled desperately to get out.  Screams filled the dark sky, disturbing the peaceful calmness of the night that had only left the village minutes ago.  Everywhere dark figures roamed blindly, searching for their loved ones and mourning for the lost of their family and property.  And yet…from some, a dazzling light shone brightly from their hands, illuminating the dark forms of the crowds and surrounding forest.  They would swing their touches this way and that, scanning the night's darkness for a flash of silver or glint of gold, or perhaps a sparkle of a red eye. As they roamed, weapons in hand, a cry sounded from the far end of the village.  The shriek sliced the night and set alarm into the civilians, making them freeze in fear and stare wide-eyed in the direction of the last hut; their eyes quick enough to see a streak of silver pass from the back of the hut to the trees. 

            As the crowd once again started to rush in fear, a light-bearing creature jumped onto a roof top and glared down into the forest, trying to ignore the memory that had just been so rudely interrupted by the sounds of the crowd.  It quickly jumped off and raced through the trees the silver fox had passed into.  The creature narrowed her pink eyes as she attempted to see pass the shadows of the night, eager to find the intruder.  Another scream filled the cold night air, followed by another as she neared her target.  And that's when she saw a glow between the trees, and blew out her own torch, melting into the shadows.  Her eyes caught hold on the sight before her and she gasped at the display of horror.  Blood had soaked the ground, its red clashing with the white of the one who had spilled it.  The moon highlighted his handsome features, bringing a glow to his flowing hair and defining his body.  Suddenly, years of hatred swelled into her body, and Botan jumped from the shadows as the killer turned, preparing to leave.  

            "Hold it!" she cried, kodachis held straight in front of her.  

            The thief turned, peering at her with curiosity and slight surprise.  A smile barely touched his lips as he looked at his opponent.  Taking a seed from his hair, he turned it into a rose and snapped it back, enlonging it into a thorn-studded whip.  He smiled again, his smile expressing amusement and confidence as he waited for her attack.  Disgusted with her foe, Botan began her attack.  Throwing her weapons in front of her, she caught them parallel to her forearms and bent her knees.  She raced toward the kitsune.

            Youko smirked as he watched her come.  He parried her attack, and, taking advantage of her lowered defense, he punched her soundlessly in the stomach.  The strength of his blow propelled her back, pushing her into the loose ground and gravel.  As she slid to a stop she coughed up a small rivet of blood and spit.  But she straightened up, showing her strength, and held the area of impact, her touch making her wince in pain and stop her breathing for a second. 

"Why don't you hit again?" he mocked, a smirk playing the edges of his lips.

He watched her frail form as he spoke, watching to see if she could still stand and challenge him.  Then he saw her get up, swords in hand, her body stiff and shaking, and her lip bitten from her attempt to suppress her aching pain.

"You…bastard," she replied as she steadied herself.  Her face was twisted in pain and loathe.  Anger flashed in her eyes as she stared at him, and she felt her dark side taking over once more.  She poised for attack, squinting to concentrate upon her approach.

She made her decision of attack in an instant, and sped toward him once more, this time raising one of her kodachis above her head to collide with flesh.

"Ryu twin point" she shouted, throwing out the raised one to strike him.  He thrashed out his whip to block it with its created wind friction, and as his whip dropped, he caught view of her. A smirk lite her crazed face as she flung forward her sword to pierce the side of his abdomen.  Her face beamed with pleasure and insanity as she watched her miniature blade go deep into his flesh, but his blood did not spill, for it was too shocked and surprised to, and her smile widened. He gasped, slightly, wide-eyed as she kicked him onto the ground, blood escaping from his mouth and gushing out at an increased speed from his wound. 

Botan stood over her opponent as he laid, pain obscuring his great face as his body rested upon the hard ground.  She stood over him, dark and forbidding, and stared at her work.  Her brother's death had just been justified, after these years, these two long years, and now, as she had planned, she was leering down at the person she hated most, watching him die. Yet a small light inside her head, a light hidden by the insane smile and pleasure she was experiencing, called to her; a sane self that told her to help her brother's murderer and to save him from death.  A voice that screamed her sin aloud and clear.  But the smile on her face did not falter; her delight and success had captured her mind completely and she could do nothing.  She watched him take his last breath until his chest stopped raising up and down, and then… she cried.

Tears ran down her face but she didn't know why.  Yet, with her wild smile still plastered to her face, her eyes, _cried._  Her smile slowly, for some reason unknown to her, was fading and steadily diminishing.  Her eyes' lost their foggy look and glazed over, and then suddenly became foggy again, as her mind, her full mind, realized what it had done. 

_I've…committed…**murder.**_

She backed away from the body that rested upon the dirt before her. '_No,'_ her soul whispered, _'no….'_ Then she turned and ran, her head held in her hands as she closed her eyes, trying to keep reality from entering.

"No, I couldn't have done this. No…." she told herself loudly in disbelief as she ran, tears flowing ever so rapidly upon her face,  "No."

But she didn't see the body twitch as the sky clouded and started to water, she didn't see Youko open his eyes and glare hard at her before he got up and before he shot a thorned whip toward her, and pierced her chest.  No, she only felt the sharp wet pain that shot through her as it came in contact with her.  All she smelled, or heard, or felt was the pain and the strong scent of metal that filled her nostrils.  And yet as she faded into the darkness of sleep, she couldn't ignore the sweet scent that mixed hidden in with the smell of rusted metal, the smell of _roses_.  It captured her mind and lulled her to sleep, it's warm liquid like caress expressing a sense of security.

And before she faded into the darkness, she felt the glare of prized gold upon her, and she opened her eyes and ignored the mud that started to form around her and looked up at the liquid aurum and white.  She smiled a small smile, as if an apology, and then tried to ease herself into darkness, into the comfort of the soft muck under her, into the black of the night and darkness that seemed to wrap around her body softly.  And she tried to forget the sin she committed, and just tried to remember something with her tired mind.  Something that would leave her content in the wet night, something she could remember forever, even if she would cease to remember anything tomorrow. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_            'But what if you're not lucky Botan?' Taisho asked, eyes large in question._

_            'Then, didn't you say you'll protect me?' the little girl said, a cute smile placing itself on her face, 'you said you'd protect me and wait for me Taisho.'_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

Botan didn't feel anything as she was picked half conscious off the wet floor, her mind was exhausted, and yet,…she forced herself to think of one thing:

_I'm coming to you now, Taisho, I'm coming.  Wait a little longer. I'm sorry,…I should have listened to you, listen to you and not fight, I'm sorry._

And she faded into the warm embrace of darkness.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muhahahaha, a cliffie, kinda, oh well, hey Botan and Youko have finally met! Yay!!!^^ Um, not many things to say to reviewers, except come back to me, so not many author notes, but thankies to **frith, Lady Nightshade, and Galandria the Vampire Queen**.  

**Hiei-iscute:** love the name, it's cute, and thank you so much!!! I didn't think she would really do it, ugh, well at least not to so many people.  Thank you so much for mailing them back and saying it's good, you could have saved me reviews!!!^_^ And actually, I go to a private school ,wish I went to public. Pheh. I just try to manage my time, it's so true that they load you with HW, sucks.  I also have no life, sucks too. Ugh.… I also try to write improper in emails, I understand. 

**Hedi Dracona:** @_@ (hypnotized) yes, I will update, and I did, I'll update next fri. 

Hey remember everyone, read and review!!!^^ Don't ditch me, please…*wimper* please, ummmh…

P.S. can someone tell me if my story allow anonymous reviews and want to be able to accept them.^^ thanx.    


	6. Betraryal and Bracelet

Hiya! **IMPORTANT NOTE TO REVIEWERS:** if none of you know, which I'm sure you must know, I have been updating every Friday night, each week, so yeah. And also, I will only talk about important stuff in author notes now, no useless stuff anymore, well, at least I'll try^^.  And one last thing: does my story allow anonymous reviews?  I gotta know, and keep reviewing!!!^_^  

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Chapter 6: The Betrayal and Bracelet  _

Botan woke uncomfortablely placed in a stiff bed, blinking as she tried to clear the tired fog within her eyes.  Once she regained her vision, the vivid colors of red and green from sleepiness disappeared to show the soft beige of the ceiling.  She stared at the smooth top of this unfamiliar room, vaguely realizing she was still alive.  She looked to the side and saw no one.  No one was by her bedside waiting for her to get up.  She looked back up to the ceiling, and sighed, bringing her hand to her chest to feel it bandaged under a peach kimono.  Thoughts started to form in her mind and she started to glance blankly in thought at the fawn, lightly covered room around her in question.  '_Why am I here?'_ she asked herself.  But no answer came in the quiet void of her room.  She closed her eyes, coaxing herself back to sleep, to just fall into the dark that had been her companion minutes ago.  But yet her mind refused to listen to her, and her will was not strong enough to bring herself into the realm of slumber.   

'_I had loss to Youko, why am still alive?_ She asked herself, '_I thought Youko was merciless, why am still alive and in bed?  Who could have brought me help but him'? _ 

He mind wandered on the topic for a moment before her psyche was too confused and exhausted to continue their reveries.  Her pink eyes fluttered in their now closed state as she tried to cut out the setting sun's rays, attempting to wheedle herself to sleep.  But as she tittered on the verge of slumber, she was interrupted by the intrusion of the clack of the screen door to her room.   

            "How are you feeling?" A male voice asked.

            Botan looked to her bedside and saw her master smiling sweetly at her, his dark gorgeous, cold, almost black eyes looking down with a blinding warmth, and each dark globe holding a concealed concern.  Butterflies suddenly flew into her stomach as she glanced up at him, her cheek flushing at the beauty of such a thing.  A thing that usually held so much darkness and hatred, but had momentarily become tender and compassionate.  She turned to look slightly away; but met his gaze shyly again and smiled up at him.  She slowly sat up, and held her breath in delight as she noticed his hands cupped a bowl of soup and a spoonful of the broth.  He brought the spoon close to his lips, blowing the surface of the liquid with the breeze of his breath.  He smiled at her again and then brought the spoon toward her, but hesitated and asked: "Is it painful to sit like that?" 

Botan noticed as he eyed her slouching posture, her shoulders bent forward and stiff and numb in pain and stress.  

"No." she replied.  She watched as his lips curled up slightly, and then he offered to spoon-feed her again, bringing the spoon nearer to her confused parted lips.  

"I can feed myself." She said with a polite smile.  She watched as her master looked at her with plain interest through his lowered lashes. 

"I don't want you using any of your energy, all I want for you is to get better. I don't want my apprentice to suffer."

She smiled, but would not give up the fight.

"No, I'll do it." She insisted, taking the bowl carefully out of Kisho's hands.  She dipped soup back into the broth and filled it up again, before blowing on it and then sipping it through her lips; it's hot temperature raising her body temperature by a fraction.  And after taking several spoons, she allowed the burning question in her mind to repeat itself for once outside of her head.

 "What exactly happened to me?" she addressed to the man beside her. 

Kisho hesitated, but then sighed and prepared to answer 

"You went ahead and fought Youko and loss.  I followed you, watching my apprentice fight and I was proud of your skills when you wounded him.  But,…," he trailed off, "I was not proud of you single-handedly went to fight him.  You had no backup what so ever, and even though you knew your training couldn't even compare with the great skills of Youko Kurama, you decided to selfishly challenge him anyways.  And as you turned your back on him, running away in disbelief of your sin, he took the advantage to wound you. He pierced through your back to the front of your chest with his rose whip and you feel unconscious after that.  That's when he ran off, haughtily certain of your death, into the forest.  I ran to you from behind a surrounding tree and brought you back to the village to see a doctor.  But sadly the doctor was killed in the village raid, and instead, I asked one of his apprentices if I could use her house to treat and bandage you.  She agreed and when we got to her house, she bandaged you and gave you medication.   You were in no condition to travel, so here you are in her house, a day after the fight."

 "Oh," she replied, not even sure if she understood his fast speech, "Thank you." 

"Don't thank me, all I want from you is an improvement in your skills before you can challenge him again. Understand?" he added harshly.

"Yes Master."

A while later, when she had finished the soup, she decided to question again. 

"What did he take from the village anyways?  I didn't see anything on him as I fought him."

"He stole something very small, easily concealable.  And actually," he said, a smirk forming on his lips, "he stole the principle forge of that bracelet." He said pointing to an object on the bedside table behind the bed.  

Botan looked slowly behind her to prevent stabs of pain from her wound.  As her eyes grazed the lacquered surface of the fine end table behind her, her eyes widened at the sight of a familiar object.  Its thin silver chain was hooked together by a tiny latch, and on the bracelet's skinny body hung a strange twisted loop of silver.  The loop was hard and was obscured once to form two loops in which the silver chain ran through, holding it suspended.  And along one side of the shining loop were two black pearls, and on the other side, unevenly distributed, hung only one round pearl.

That bracelet… 

"But it seemed he was after more, it's said he's coming back here today.  Don't worry, they have guards here." Kisho continued.

But Botan didn't hear him.  Her eyes suddenly didn't work anymore, for she saw nothing but her own vivid memories as she continued to stare at the oak end table that didn't seem to register in her mind.  

Taisho… 

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  '_Happy Birthday Botan!'__ Everyone shouted.  The room as filled with ringing pleasant laughter as Botan one year ago opened her presents.  The colored cloth wrapped boxes, each bearing her name, bore different handwritings upon small envelopes that were tucked neatly into the cloth of the presents.  Botan gasped as she took out her first present, a new kimono, it's rosy red color deeper than that of her own eyes.  She hugged it as she thanked the giver, and placed it carefully in her lap as she opened her other presents.  _

_And at last, there were no more.  Botan sighed in sadness, and started to try to perk up and help her family gather the cloths and wooden boxes that had once held multiple gifts.  But as she started to pick up the first fragment of fabric, her brother called out to her._

_"Botan, I have one for you."_

_Botan looked up in surprise and quickly abandoned the textile in her hand to run to her brother._

_"You got me a present! What is it?" she exclaimed excitedly, rattling the  small box up and down.  She sat down at her brother's feet and started to giggle like a child as she pulled at the knot that tied the cloth to the box's wooden frame.  When at last the knot unraveled itself in a flurry of peach color, she gasped at the glittering object inside it.  _

_Despite it's lightweight, she lifted it slowly out of its compartment, and allowed it to see light. Her family "oohed" and "ahhed' as their eyes, like Botan's fastened onto the expensive object._

_"Taisho!__ Where did you get such a beautiful bracelet?!" his mom yelled out._

_He smiled, "I used my salary, it was nothing."  As he sentence ended, he felt arms come over his shoulders and hug him._

_"Thank You so much!!!" his excited sister shouted (much to his disliking) in his ear._

_"Your welcome, just stop yelling into my ear, I think I'll go deaf!"_

_"Sorry," She replied as she adorned her new treasure, it's shining ornaments catching the room's light and throwing pieces of the illumination across the walls, "But thank you so much!"_

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"I didn't wear that bracelet since Taisho's death." Botan said grimly.

"I took a carriage ride to your family today as you slept.  They wanted to give you this bracelet to wear, for you to have luck of a full recovery.  They said that your brother's "spirit" lives within it.  Pheh, superstition."

Botan smiled at her master, then looked back at the bracelet.

"Do you really think he's there Master?"

But she got no answer, her master had picked up her bowl and was now up and looming over her.  He looked down with calm eyes and replied: "I'm leaving." Then he turned to leave.

"Wait," Botan shouted to him, "what are you going to be doing, where will you be?  I don't know anyone here."

Kisho side glanced at her, questioning her curiosity. "The nurse is down the hall, I'll be busy fighting."

"Fighting, but…you never fight, not anymore, not unless you're in training."

"I'm going to fight Youko Kurama." He stated plainly.  He approached the door and held his hand out to pull at its frame, almost freeing himself of the room.

"But…you know that Youko is **mine**," Botan stated, "He's mine to fight, not yours."

"You are in no condition to fight, I will take your place."

"You can't do that!!!" Botan shouted from her bed.

Kisho turned slowly around, his black hair moving out of the way to reveal his anger-stricken, yet calm, face.

"What did you say to me?  Wasn't I the one who trained you? Taught you? I, and everyone else have the same rights to kill Youko as you do."

"But…"She trailed off.

"But what," the handsome man screamed from before the door, but he paused and glared angrily at his apprentice, before grimacing then continuing, " this is the end of this discussion."  And with that he opened the door and slammed it against its frame in fury, causing it to bounce wide open again    

"Come back her Kisho, come back!!!" Botan demanded from her bed. "Grr.." she growled before getting up herself and stalking to the door to slam it shut again; but as before, it hit its frame and threw itself back again. 

"Ugh…" she growled in frustration, "ugh…" She ran painstakingly with her wound to her bed and threw her head into her pillow, causing a wave of pain to surge into her body. "oww.." she wined.

Stupid Kisho.  What a stupid name too, Kisho. Ugh….  And after moments of complaining to herself, what remained of her dark side after the fight the past day once again come into the light to causing her to get an idea. I'm going to fight him, prove to Kisho I can win, I'm the best. I can do it. 

_I_ **_won't_**_ let him take my glory, nor anyone else, he's mine to defeat, mine…._

            Botan got out of bed, her eyes flashing in a half insanity as her greediness and will for revenge took over; and she forgot what she promised her master. Reaching over to her bedside table, she took her bracelet and fastened it to her wrist, then opened her drawer and lifted out a light, yet pointed object, and stuck that into her sleeve. She walked out the door, leaving the warmth of her bed behind to go into the hallway, which was starting to fill with the evening's cool air embrace.  She walked down the hall, and in her haughty determination, she accidentally hit a tall vase on a table and sent it crashing to he floor.  Botan backed up, and her ears perked as she heard the door of the nurse's room open. 

"Who's there?" Said the figure that came out, "oh, dear, are you ok? Do you need anything?"

"No," Botan replied, "I'm just going out."

"Oh,…but it looks as if it might rain."

"I don't' care." Botan replied as she walked past the nurse into a room resembling a common room.

"Wait, you'll get sick!" The nurse yelled to her, "You shouldn't go out!"

Botan ignored her and continued her pace, walking to the front door.

"Wait!" The nurse persisted, running up to Botan to grab her arm.

Botan frowned, "Leave me alone! I can go if I want to.  I'm just going after Master Kisho!" She said, trying to pry herself out of the attendant's grip.

"You don't even know where he is," the nurse pleaded, "please, just stay!"

"No! And since I don't know where he is, why don't you tell me!"

"No, you mustn't go, he's fighting Youko in the forest!" the nurse gasped.

Botan smirked at her stupid mistake, and then wrenched her arm out of the lady's hand and proceeded toward the door. She opened its wooden frame and felt the cool setting sun's breeze sweep into her and send shivers up her spine. She stepped out into the emptiness of the street with her bare feet and started to walk toward the forest from one day ago.  She could still hear the annoying nurse screaming back to her, following her out into the gray day with an umbrella clutched to her side.  Botan ran on.  

The sunset cast eerie shadows and blinded her and her companion.  But yet her body pushed on, running by a squinted sight through the softened earth as it began to rain.  Water poured down her face and body, wetting her bandages and poring pain through her chest.  The nurse called out to her with a raised umbrella, and Botan considered to slow down, to save herself the pain of her chest. She waited till the lady reached her side to duck under the protection of the paper parasol, ignoring the concerned looks of the woman to her side.

They together weaved through the dark trees of the forest, the nurse curiously never once asking why she wanted to see her master.  And suddenly they stopped.  Looking around they saw through the windows of their eyes the clearing, but they saw no one, but as if by some fluke, sliver darted into the clearing in front of her and stopped.  Golden eyes didn't see them as another figure adorned in beige huffed and puffed as it too dashed into the scene, it's lack of bright colors (despite his skin and clothes) clashed against his opponents.  Botan recognized him right away; his raven hair and (if she could see them) literally dark eyes marked their owner easily.  She and the nurse watched as they went attack after attack, until finally, the black one was hit.  He grunted and the women beside Botan screamed, a stupid action as she watched gold focus in her direction.  The bright orbs stuck out against the gloomy day and a wave of recognition washed over them as he looked one of them over.  And once they stopped moving, a smirk placed itself on the owner's face. 

"What do you want?"

Botan didn't answer, for she didn't know how to answer.  She didn't really know what to answer, and to say 'you're mine to kill' didn't seem like the greatest thing to do.

"I **thought** I killed you."

Again she said nothing.

"Bo…tan" someone choked out.  Botan and the nurse both looked at the soaked ground two meters away.  Cross eyes looked at her from their pale face. "Botan…"

"Kisho…" Botan replied. She took a step in his direction but was stopped by Youko, his arm stood her way.  

"Get out of the way." She demanded.

"I'm not done with him yet," Youko said with a malicious grin, his fangs, shining from the corners of his mouth, "After I'm done with him, I'll deal with you."  At his he gave her another grin.  

Botan couldn't handle it, "I can do what I want!" She raised her hand to slap him, but she her hand came to a sudden stop; Youko had caught her hand. 

"You have a smart mouth." He spat.  He flung her to the ground, watching in pleasure as her peach kimono discolored with mud. The nurse bent down to help her, but Botan took no notice, that wasn't what she now cared about.  What she cared about was it wasn't until then that Botan finally noticed the rose whip at the fox demon's side.  He watched her fear take over her body as she froze, eyes to their limits as her gaze on him shook.

            He smirked, and rose his whip for a bloody blow. Botan squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the final strike …but their wasn't one.  Instead she heard Youko wince.  She opened her eyes to see his arm adorned with several droplets of blood from a small cut on his arm.  His eyes were no longer on her, but toward the trees to her far right.  She heard a rustle come from the area, and saw a black-clothed figure jump out, followed by faraway whistle.  Voices could be heard as people neared the area. 

Someone could be heard laughing, and Youko looked behind him.  There sat a pathetically chuckling Kisho.

"What are you laughing at fool?" Youko demanded.

"I called forces in, Youko.  You will die today, by my doing." Kisho replied, chuckling still.

Botan couldn't believe it.  She had been used like a tool to find Youko, for Kisho to kill this fox demon himself. And though he might have not meant it that way, it was the way it turned out.  Anger welled inside her and at last, she couldn't take it anymore; she squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, a new determination burning in them.  

He's mine to kill, MINE! 

She ran foreword and grabbed Youko's arm, dragging him with her as she ran into the depths of the wood.  

"What are you doing ningen?" Youko shouted.

"I'm saving you, what's it look like?" Botan replied, ignoring the urgent voice of her master behind her.

Youko didn't answer, but just followed.  And they ran on, until the shouting of Kisho's forces and he faded away.  They erupted into a clearing; a wild river clearly seen through a few trees, and Botan stopped and let go of the fox's arm.

"Why did you help me ningen?" Youko questioned after a few seconds, when Botan had finally gotten her pace down.

"Because, I want to kill you myself!"  Botan launched a hidden knife from her sleeve at the demon.  He was taken aback, but dodged her.  And as Botan fell forward from trying to push her weight in with her attack, Youko grabbed the back of her hand and twisted it behind the back.  He smiled as he undid her fingers from the knife.  But she turned around, and her arm still in his hand, she punched him with her other free hand.  

She smirked as she made contact, and she kept punching and kicking, Youko blocking everyone, but in return, scooting them both dangerously closer to the river's edge.  Until finally, she miraculously tripped him.  Her smile widened she watched him fall over the river's bank.  But something wasn't right, because her happiness disappeared  when she felt the ground under her disappear and a warm hand around her ankle.  She felt herself being dragged along the river's overgrown bank; bushes and twigs scratching her arms. They both tumbled down and into the cold raging river below.  She went under for a second, and then broke the water's churning surface and choked on the bitter taste of the liquid.  She saw Youko floating nearby and watched as he clutched on to an anchored rock.  

She decided to do the same and scrambled to turn toward the direction the current was flowing; attempting to glance over the bubbly waves to find a secure boulder.  She saw one, and was thankfully successful in grabbing hold of it.  But as a wind blew a strong gust, it raised a mighty wave that pushed her further and further down stream.  At last, her body gave up, and though she found it pathetic, she screamed for help.

"Help," she shouted, choking on the water that found its way in once she opened her mouth, "Help! Help! Help! Help me Kurama!"  Her body was starting to weaken and her mind pounded from the inhalation of too much water.  Her vision started to fade as the swells tossed her body in the water, and she started to sink.  But yet, she saw a kitsune demon on the bank, his hair and clothes wet and still dripping, before she went down.  

And at a last attempt to be rescued, she tried to suppress water under her and keep afloat as long as she could. 

"Youko!" she shouted, but she never saw his reaction to her call, for the waves opened its great mouth and swallowed her up.  But if she had seen his reaction, she would have seen the questioning, but plain gaze as he watched the almost impossible to see blue dot of Botan, get swallowed up by the surf.  And he touched his heavy hair and pulled a seed out of its silky texture and transformed it into his rose whip, holding it confusedly in his shaking hand.  

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Kay, that's it, wow, it's longer than usual, yay.  Sorry if the action sucked, really sucked, I have to kinda put in the romance part too and I guess I wasn't in the mood.  An also, to let you guys know what her bracelet looks like: ----o-o-O-O-o---- the two big circles are like when you twist a rubber band and make two loops, get it? An this is **my design**, **not one** can take it! Well hope you enjoyed reading, I did half the time writing. R&R!!! 

**Lady Nightshade: thankies!**

**Glandria**** the Vampire Queen: thankies also!**


	7. The Way to Survive

Hi everyone! I'm happy, I got reviewers!!! 

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH!

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Chapty seven: The Way to Survive 

            Botan awoke only to find herself once again trapped in darkness, just as she was when she swirled with the rapids of the river hours ago.  She looked around, searching of signs of any life and found none.  She closed her eyes again, attempting to relax into her position, and laid on her back.  She felt itchy as she tried to settle into the stiff dry grass and the wound in her chest still stung with pain.  And despite her discomfort, she was totally peaceful; she really didn't want to find out why or where she was where she was.  All she wanted was to remain tranquil in the turbulent stream of complications that was her life.

She relaxed and altered her breathing to the quiet deep breaths of the sleepers, calming herself into a state of complete ignorant bliss and solitude.  Her mind blanked and her senses, when sight was taken away, suddenly became acute with accuracy. But as she almost drifted to sleep, she heard a most quiet breathing.   The breathing was but a silent whisper, almost indistinguishable, like a snake in the grass, quiet, but belonging to the deadliest of killers.   And like a snake, when taken advantage of, could help kill in the swiftest way, pain not even beginning to seize the victim's heart before they would fall dead to the ground. 

Botan opened her lilac eyes, gazing ahead to find herself blinded momentarily by the contrast of aurum and black. Two golden suns gleamed over her head, their light bright and clear; its dazzling aura intense against the dark atmosphere that now cradled her body.  She almost felt comforted by the brightness, yet their icy glare seemed to obscure their greatness, and a bitter uninterested look loomed in them.

            Botan looked away, somewhat not wanting to look back at them, for they seemed so _alive_, so full of life. But most of all, she didn't want to fall into their gaze, to get lost in them, and to never be able to get out.  Trapped and without the ability to escape, the fear of her mind paralyzing her.      "Leave me alone Youko." She said, closing her eyes and dropping her face to face the damp brown of the ground.

            "Well, if it weren't for me," Youko answered, a smirk curling itself onto his glowing moonlit face, "You would be dead and falling all the way down to hell by now."

            Botan groaned out of slight frustration, squeezing her eyes close and turning to face the cold stonewall.  She wanted to try to prevent the truth from touching her heart and causing her to respond to it.  In truth, she didn't want to appreciate what the fox had done for her.  She didn't want to review the etiquette that she had practiced all her life and say thank you.  All she wanted was to be alone, to be alone and deaf in the warm caress of darkness.  

            But to be in the caress of darkness, wasn't it the same as being held in the gaze of a demon?

  "I don't want to think of you for the moment, Youko.  All I want is to just…fall into darkness, to be...just leave me alone." She moaned, "I know you helped me, and I thank you for that.  But…I want to just forget about you and all I've done these two years for a while."

"Suit yourself," Youko replied, "I have better things to do." Botan heard his clothes shift and his feet landed lightly onto the ground with a tap.  Botan couldn't help but open her eyes to turn toward her savior, wonder brimming in her eyes.  Her shy ignorant eyes looked slowly up past lowered lashes, meeting the kitsune's golden eyes with her own for a second before looking curiously away.  Her large eyes searched her surrounding, fitting her mauve orbs to each object that she could make out.

The cave held a cool, clean, wet stench, and in every direction were murky, endless walls, each seeming to go on forever like a never ending swirling black hole.  The only brightness that shone and broke through the darkness was the spilling of moonlight through the entrance of the grotto.  It sliced through the black of the cave's inner shadow to splinter into fragments of light that littered themselves close to one another within the cave; revealing the toned shadows of the thief that stood two meter from Botan's side.  She looked back up with her childish eyes at Youko, her orbs meeting his golden ones for another second.

Youko cocked his head to the side a little, glancing questioning at the young girl in front of him with a small smile.  He chuckled to himself, before turning to walk away into the darkness.    

"Where are you going?" Came a quizzical voice from behind him.  

"Where I want to be."

"And where's that?" the voice ventured.

He turned back to glance at her out of the corner of his piercing eye.  

"Why do you care? What happened to 'I don't want to think of you for the moment, Youko'? How about 'just leave me alone'? Maybe you should make up your mind before addressing me again." He answered, a small smile forming upon his beautiful face, the fangs of his mouth slightly visible from the corners of his lips. He turned around again, and continued walking.

"But..." came the voice again, "what am I suppose to do?"

"You stay here." He told her sternly without her eye contact.

Botan glanced around, unsure for a moment, but then returned her gaze to her savior's back.

"You are not to wander around," Youko demanded over his shoulder, "You may only go into that room." He signaled above Botan's laying form.  "That's the wash room. And there is food on the ground by the unlit fire in front of you."

Botan turned surprised to her left to glare into the dark to see the charred timbers of wood, but didn't see it.

"Don't even try to run away," Youko assured, "It'll only waste time and effort to find you again, and you simply aren't worth that easy find."

Botan 'hmph'ed, and watched as Youko's broad back disappeared into the gray of the forest and rainy-scarred sky outside.   It was only then that she got up and started to wander around, surprised to find her feet bare and shoeless as they touched grains of sand below.  She squinted her eyes in attempt to view the fire-scorched wood that was her fire, but didn't see it.  Not until she crawled on her knees to its supposed side that she reached out and felt its cold wet sticks, damp from the deaths of previous fires.  She sighed, and attempted to pick out two to spark life into the clump of branches, uplifting soggy logs to look for the ones that may be dry at the bottom.  And when she finally found two that would do, they were in no condition to be used, for they were littered with scabs of burnt wood and slipped when she place one atop the other to raise a flame.  

Botan growled out of frustration. 'This is so annoying.' She thought to herself.  Why was it always her luck to be in these kinds of predicaments? She sighed a long sigh, and from her former kneeling position, dropped onto her butt pathetically, legs sprawled out under her.  

She pouted, 'conceited Youko' she thought, ''It'll only waste time and effort to find you again, and you simply aren't worth that easy find'' she mocked in her head. 

"Pheh," she scoffed, "I can run away if I want to." She looked to the sandy floor with a thoughtful gaze. "If I wanted to…"

In truth, Botan didn't want to get back to reality, she didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay.  But **not** for the company of the fox, but for the time to find his weaknesses, for the perfect opportunity to kill him, to fulfill her mission.  She smirked, scrunching her legs to her body and wrapping her arms around them, glancing at the fruit by her that was her food, and wrinkling her nose in disgust at they're sand covered forms.  

She then got up and walked blindly, arms stretched forward, toward the door to the washroom Youko had pointed out.  She glanced curiously into the supposed doorway, seeing its dark dusty hallway foreboding and mysterious.  She took a step into the corridor, mist wrapping their thin flexible opaque white arms around her thin bare ankles.  She descended deeper into the touch-lit tunnel, placing her hand on the corridor's walls to guide her way into the next room.

She followed her way through; little droplets of water dropped from liquid that formed by mist onto the hanging stone cones glued to the ceiling.  She squinted as heat started to build up in the depth of the cave.  Steam started to fill into the narrow chamber, and breath was almost denied to her if not for the giant plants that guarded the entrance to the long awaited room.  The flowers' sewer green and red petals were abnormal, and like a Venus flytrap, they opened and closed to form a fanged mouth.  Saliva dripped from each jaw, each one hungrily growling with hunger, and snapping at the air to bite at mouthfuls of steam that hung in the air.  They swallowed quickly, and spent no time to relish the waft of steam that had just entered their mouths before taking another huge bite, and like all plant, giving off oxygen from their thin green bodies.

Botan slowed down, her eyes traveling over the plants' skinny stems that held enormous 'heads' and their deep lush green leaves that swept the ground with delight like tails.  She cautiously approached them, inching slightly forward with tiny steps, careful to try to keep her distance from the clusters of steam swallowing monsters beside the door.  

As she walked past, she gazed at them, and turned many circles, scarred that one may snap at her with their sharp canines. Her breath stopped of her will, hoping that if she were quiet, that the gigantic plants would just ignore her.  Her plan worked, for a while.  As she approached the entrance of an even more steamy room, something pulled the sleeve of her kimono violently toward it. She turned; fear clutching her heart, and squeezing the air out of her lungs. Her eyes met a deep red, and her eyes widened as the mouth snapped at her, Botan barely getting away by the quick jerk of her head, bringing her out from the inside of the flower's huge mouth.  She grimaced in relief and surprise, her heart still thumping in panic, but calming as she ran quickly past the plant and unexpectantly ending up tittering on an edge, her increased speed clearing her view and showing her the hot spring's edge.

She blanched and grimaced again as she rocked back and forth on the rim of the misty clear water before her.  But she managed to gain control of her balance momentarily and leaned back, only to hit relief too soon and straighten back up.  That's how she went splashing into the hot waters of the pool below.  She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for the water to envelope her body and redden her face.  But it, to her embarrassment, it didn't come, and she unpuffed her cheeks and yelped at the high temperature that rose into her body and made her start to sweat in the shallow waters.

She shivered and tried brought her arms close to her body, trying to make it adjust to the new heat.  And in time it did, and she was able to allow herself to lean against the natural rock walls of the spring, knees bent and hovering in the water.  She sighed and allowed the warmth to comfort her body, and relaxed.

I have such a hard life. Why does this all have to happen to me? 

But she knew why she was in this mess, she knew why.  She had made it this way; she had done this to herself.  It was she who had chosen this path of destruction and death when she could have had normal life, with none of these complications at all.  But she was too obsessed with her desire to kill Youko and too upset about her brother's death to realize that she was going the wrong way.  She had been going the wrong way all this time, and she had no one to blame but herself.  And she found that, even if she still wanted to kill Youko, she actually didn't want to anymore.  For it wouldn't back her out of this situation, nothing could.  And either way now, if she ran away or stayed, she would probably die.  But yet there was a slim sliver of hope in these two situations, if she could find a way to survive somehow, if she could find a way to live, to endure. 

Botan moaned quietly, and closed her amethyst eyes to the heat of the pool, "To find a way to live," Botan sighed, "How am I suppose to do that?" 

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Ok, that's it. Hope you liked it, I didn't really enjoy reading it that much, not because of what I was writing, it was just that I wasn't really in a writing mood because my back aches, been sitting wrong in chairs I think, or maybe sitting gin wrong chairs for typing *rubs back* ugh… well remember, press the little blue button and review!^_^ Also-(**very important for reviewers!)- I may not be updating every Fridays now, I'm busy and tired from school everyday, and the chapters before these I wrote beforehand, so now I'm writing from scratch and it's a little hard to write since everything sets the setting for the rest of the story. And I also may have a beta reader now so I have to wait for them and all that stuff.  So put me on author alert (someone wanna tell how that works?) or put my on favorite stories or something to remember me and Definitions of a Fox. Please….^^**   

Reviewer notes:

**Galandria**** the Vampire Queen:** there we go, I continued, yay.^_^

**Eunjung****:** yes, they have finally met. ^^ and don't sweat it, just stay with my story! Just kidding, I want you to keep reading, but I don't want to force you, I understand how it is to have no time sometimes, or to be forgetful.^_^ And you have to update _What he said, She said_ soon, it's great!!! And do you read His and her Circumstances/Kare Kano manga, your title reminds me of it.

**Lady Nightshade:** are you saying it wasn't good before!? Just kidding. ^^ I can't wait till I actually finish writing the next chapter, that way I won't be stuck in front of the comp screen which is bad for you, and I can start the romance, (in some chapter…^^)
    
    **Seiyo-san****:** likies name. And your good at seeing stuff, I didn't even notice that at first Botan tries to kill him, wounds him, runs away, comes to kill him again, then ends up trying to save him. And now he saves her! O_O wow, it's kinda sad I didn't notice that and I wrote it, oh well ^_^. And I looked at your fave stories one day, and **I'm**on it?! Yay, thankies so much!!!^_^
    
    **Liz Inc: **you wrote: **_  ** me; what? ^^? I don't get it, but oh well, you can tell mean what you meant. And yay, you came back to me, after a while, yay!!! Stay with my ficcie, please…?^_^
    
    **Frith****:** A love story of Botan's ghost and Youko, hmm, I think I'll consider that.  Just kidding!!! Haha, *sees you fuming* hey I didn't make her die, and am will never consider doing such a story s to have Youko and Botan's ghost be a couple, it's  so.. wierd, yet unique, you are so unique. ^^ you are so amusing too, not like a bad way, like a dog, just that you're fun to talk with/lputting AN's for, not that everyone isn't but you know…^_^  And hopefully you could tell that Youko did save her, yay!!!^_^ And that is an interesting thgouht, how can a ghost and Youko kiss, that would make the best comedy!!!!!

**Hieixkurama2000(**** ): ** likies name, it's original, kinda, yeah…^_^ oh you know the other day I saw a pic of hiei and Kurama, there are some great fanpics out there of them, they're really good. But I've never read a yoai fic so I'm not sure if I support them. But I'll say they are both attractive.^_^  


	8. The Three Girls

Hiya, I'm back! Yay, I'm kinda happy, how bout you. I'm sure you are. 
    
    Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, if I did I would have already put a lot more pics of Youko and Shuuichi, and Botan and Kurama (either) would be together.^__^
    
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    _Chapter Eight: The Three Girls_
    
                   A scream split the dark haze of the night; the blinding touches seeming to flicker with an invisible wind that swayed with the screech.  Heads whipped around to the direction of the bawl, the shadows of the night hiding the victims ripped body from the onlookers.  A rustle came from the surrounding shadows, and the crowd revolved their heads into the alleyway of the quiet streets.  The joyous festivities that had been in the colorful atmosphere of the street fair had all together disappeared as whispers and mumbles started to litter themselves among the numerous bodies of the throng. 
    
                   Three young girls twirled round and round, glancing into the enormous crowd to catch a glimpse of the cause of commotion.  They strained their necks and attempted to peer over the fumbling swarm, their pretty eyes blinking in confusion.
    
                   "Akiko," one girl asked, her straight short brown hair swishing as she turned to her friend, "What's going on?"
    
                   "I don't know." The girl answered.
    
                   "What do you think Katana?" the first girl asked a tall girl.
    
                   Her friend turned around, a stern expression touching her very soft features.
    
                   "I don't know Michiko…" she responded, "But I think that someone stole something or something like that." 
    
                    "Oh…" the first girl said, her body slightly limp and her hand curled at her mouth in worry. 

"Let's get a closer look." Katana said, staring to push herself ungainly through the crowd. The other two girls looked up at her in confusion, then looked at each other. 

"But Katana," Akiko stammered, her brown hair swishing as she turned toward her friend, "shouldn't we try to avoid any trouble at all costs? We promised our mothers that if they allowed us to go to the festival alone."

But by then the dark blue of the taller girl's hair was invisible to her friends, and they, worried for their companion, quickly followed in pursuit, calling her name out.

"Katana, come back, you shouldn't be doing this!" Michiko shouted.

"Yes, listen to us!" Akiko yelled in agreement.

But their friend didn't answer, the only answer they got were the utter confusion of the crowd, the swarm unwittingly answering with no reliance to their answers as they pushed themselves through the crowd.  

The girls looked everywhere possible with such an enormous patch of people, almost getting squished themselves worrying about their companion.  Just then a neigh came mixed into the confused commotion of the festival goers and heads turned to an enormous auburn horse making its way through the bystanders to the scene of the crime.  The man that rode on its back had a very powerful, sophisticated look to him.  And from the way he acted to the crowd once he had arrived and had attempted to make his way over to the scene of the crime, it was clear that he was extremely fickle. He had at first just kindly, yet sternly asked people to move for the police chief, but as the crowds moved slowly in its large mass to move, he became impatient and started to shout at people to go quicker, and the cruel man even got as edgy as to actually push with the body of his steed people out of the way.

"The police chief…" Akiko whispered into her friend's ear, "maybe if we follow him, we'll find Katana.  She wanted to see what was going on, so maybe she'll follow the police men too."

Michiko nodded, and they squeezed into the nooks and crannies of the crowd.  They pressed on into the mass, and upon reaching the police; they held each other's hand and allowed themselves to sink back into the countless faces of the street, following as inconspicuously as they could.  As they reach the alleyway, Michiko saw a glimpse of a blue flash.

"Katana!" she shouted.

The friend at her side looked at her. 

"Where?" she asked

"Follow me, in the crowd!" she responded, tightening the rip on the other's hand and dragging her into the bustle of kimonos before her.  

"Katana!" they shouted, "Where are you?!"

"Guys," came a voice hardly more than a whisper, "over here."

The two girls whipped their heads around into an alley, and saw their tall acquaintance kneeling behind a box, peering over it, and waiting for her to come to her.

"Katana!" they shouted, and upon reaching her they threw their arms around her, "We thought we lost you!"

Katana smiled, "You guys are silly, now…look guys."  She signaled to her right, where a now very eager police squad was headed to. The girls peered quizzically at an old rug that was thrown over a large form, the parts of its figure that were visible were drenched in blood, and the skin that still held color where at places scratched and bruised and, to Akiko's utter disgust, ripped and torn, dripping with crimson. 

"What…what is that thing?" Akiko stuttered.

"What? I can't see what's so terrible about a whole bunch of wet cloth that's all turn and stuff.  No wonder it's out here, why would anyone want that thing, there's no use for it anymore." Michiko queried, squinting her eyes to see if her terrible vision had lied to her again.

"Michiko," Katana said, "What you're looking at isn't cloth. It's a _body_."

"A body," Michiko exclaimed, stopping her squinting, "Ugh….What's it doing here!"

"It's what all the commotion is about" Katana answered calmly, "Someone said that a scream was heard and they found this body all ripped up, almost torn to  shreds, and someone saw a shadow leaving the depth of the alleyway. A doctor was passing by and stopped by already.  He preformed an extremely quick optopsy and concluded that this was a homicide, but that wasn't what was so special, he said that the victim died from _deep forced blows that went straight threw his bones._ Whoever committed this murder was extremely efficient in doing so."

"So," stammered Michiko, "is the killer still around?"

"They think so." Katana answered serenely.

By now the police chief's horse's body broke through the crowd and rose onto its hind legs to a halt just before trampling the victim's body.  The police chief grimaced and shouted for the doctor earlier to come forth and tell him information that he may have found.  As an elderly man rose to speak to the leader of the troops, some men of the squad emerged from behind the enormous chocolate colored horse and started to check on the corpse, they frowned the contents covered by the cloth, and in was written on their faces that many wanted to back away; but none moved from their position while under the look of the chief.  As the officers continued to examine and the doctor and chief talk and the crowd look on in curiosity, Katana saw a flash of silver to her left sprint across the ground.  

"A fox." She said to herself, and began to follow it.

"Hey Katana, you think we should get back to having fun or at least go home now?" Michiko asked in hope to leave.  But when no answer came to her ears, she looked to her side to find her friend gone. 

"Ahhhh…she left us again!" she shouted.

Akiko looked to her side and started to panic again, "Katana!"

"Over here guys." Katana shouted from their left.  She waved for them to come and then disappeared into the next alley.

Michiko sighed, "Not again, what she want this time? As long as there are no more dead bodies, I'm o.k."

They followed their companion into the next passageway. As the gist of the passage started to come into view they saw Katana kneeling, her pink kimono brushing the dusty earth ground.  

"Katana, what is it?" Akiko asked, cocking her head to the side to try to get a glimpse of the object that cuddled itself in the blue-haired girl's embrace.

"Look, isn't it cute?" Katana asked, "It's a fox, and it's really friendly."

Michiko looked at the silver bundle that lay temporarily resting in the girl's arms.  Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked unsurely at the animal, looking to Michiko, who stood a foot away for an opinion.

"Don't you think you shouldn't be holding, not to mention touching that thing? I know you love animals, but…" Akiko questioned, her eyes narrowed and somewhat expectant. 

"But it's so cute. Kawaii kitsune!" Katana said, cuddling it even closer and rubbing her cheek against its.

"But you know you shouldn't touch it." Her friend tried again.

"But…" Katana went on.

As the unheated argument went on, Michiko stood somewhat ignored. She took a few steps and glanced over her companion's shoulder, looking questioningly at the kitsune.  As the argument went on, its red eyes seemed to glitter, and it sprung from its holder's arms.

  "Where are you going?" Katana shouted after it. She rose from her kneeling position and started to run after it. "Wait!" she shouted.

"Katana," Akiko called after her, "you've made us follow and look for you way too much, come back her right…" her sentence trailed off as her ruby eyes grazed the form of the fox and widened.  It had five tails.

   Michiko reacted the same way, her eyes enlarging as she saw it take a turn in the depths of the alley.

"No, Katana," she shouted, "Don't go! It's not a real fox!"

They ran after her, turning the alley soon enough to see her body fall limp to the ground, her side bleeding and her eyes closed forever. 

"Katana!" they yelled in unison.

Their eyes started to fill with tears as they stared unbelievably the scene in front of them. 

"Katana…" Michiko whispered.

"Michiko! Watch out!" Akiko yelled. 

Michiko's head snapped up, right in time to see the rose whip that headed toward her.  And memories seemed to flash as her vision fell and she became no longer living.

    Akiko gasped and tried to run as the fox demon pulled his whip from his victim.  A smirk started to appear on his pale face and he aimed right at her retreating back. And a shriek pierced the muttering of the festive night as the last and final fell to the ground in a swirl of her brown hair.

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     Botan sighed and scrubbed her clothed shoulder.  Though the pool of hot water that she **was** extremely relaxing, she just couldn't enjoy it thanks to its comfort.  She didn't want to go drifting of into sleep in the spring, she doubt it be good for her.  She sighed again. '_This has been a long day'_ she thought.  She dropped her hand, red from the heat, silently and smoothly back into the water below. 

She closed her eyes and groaned as she slid deeper into the comfort of the bath.  She opened her eyes slowly, their vision more than halved as she glanced boredly at the steam that wafted from the water.  She rose her hand and splashed at her reflection.  And felt foolish as the boiling water splashed up in retaliation and speckled her face in burning water, causing her to scrunch up her nose to prevent them contact with her amethyst eyes.  

As the water settled again, she looked back down, and frowned slightly at her image.  It wasn't that she was self-conscious, but she just wanted to be able to take a real bath.  But taking her clothes off when a thief known for womanizing could just show up? No way was she about to think of doing such an act in this pool, even if he said he was gone, who could know the truth?

By now Botan had started to get quite bored, and though against the tiny voice that screamed in her head to get out, she stayed inside the steam filled room.  She glanced lazily from corner to corner of the plain underground room; it's packed-tight dirt and stone walls of no interest to her as they too, like herself, looked as if they were sweating.  The black of her eyes and attention of her ears would often travel to the chomping of the flowers outside the door.  Their belly forever empty, they lapped and bite at the stream burdened air, licking their lips occasionally as they swallowed and chewed on the no-need- to-chew particles in their mouth.

As Botan's eyes and ears continued their supplemental enjoyment, her hand unconsciously started to fiddle with the heavy sleeve of her kimono which flapped on an underwater wind that seemed to her so mystical and enchanting.  She would place her hand just below the reach of the weeping cloth and smile to herself when it would move its smooth, swaying form against her hand.  Though so strange and so bizarre an entertainment, it gave her a great feeling of wonder that made her believe that nothing could possibly go wrong anymore.  

But of course, and at this Botan frowned, everything couldn't be perfect, look at the predicament she was in.  Long and hard she had thought of what she could do to get herself out of this mess.  But still no idea came to her except that she would have to kill him.  But of course there was that other route that she could take.  She could take advantage of his lustful nature and use it to her advantage, but that was just simply out of the question.  The plain thought sickened her.

Her mind went on, staring at nothing at particular and thinking, or sometimes actually staring at something. And of course there was that wonderful entertainment of trying to think of something to do since her clothes were wet.  The only thing that actually kept her going was the small hope of her own survival and the constant amusement of splashing water at the flowers outside and watching as they happily lapped at the mud for their first taste of water and having them beg for more.  It cheered her up.          

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"What was that?" A man shouted.

            Chaos had suddenly introduced itself as a shriek penetrated and rung in once happy festival goers' ears.  Muttering started to come into play again as the onlookers glanced naively around for the source of the cry.  

            "Where'd that come from?" one man asked.

            "Another death?" A woman asked fearfully.

            Everywhere ignorant people fumbled around, but one man was not as ignorant.  Atop his chocolate-colored steed, he rode high above any other human or demon.  

            "Out of my way imbeciles!" He shouted.

            He galloped his way to the direction of the cry, heard loud and clear by his half-listening ears as he stayed over the crowds rumble and was listening to the old doctor.  He had seen the three girls, so innocent, so pure, and he had ordered one his men to watch their safety, but it seemed the blasted man wasn't listening to his order.  He had abandoned the old doctor quickly once he heard the scream come from the next alleyway; the same three girls had run into together.  Now, as he sped over in a few seconds' time to the new scene of the crime, he grimaced in disgust.  As he rounded the corner his already appalled eyes were met with a gruesome sight.

            Three girls lay dead, each within a few feet of each other.  As his eyes grazed the faces of the youngsters, his breath was caught in his throat, and it became dry in and he began to shiver in anguish and remorse.  The first, the closest to the killer, was sprawled on her front side, her body curled and kimono soaked in a pool of her own blood.  The second girl was the most gruesome sight, her face completely a work of massacre.  What used to be a pretty face was now a sight indescribable.  The third was the screamer, for she was most recognized in the community: the chief's daughter.  The haughty man now lost all his will and had become completely overwhelmed by the annihilation of the three.  Gracelessly he dismounted and, eyes red and teary, drew his gun and pointed it to the thief in front of him.  

            Suddenly bullets run through the cold blood tainted air, the red fleck still so fresh as to linger nearby, hovering above the ground.  Tears coursed their way down the aged man's face as he fired one by one, pulling the trigger easily, projectiles that shot clear to the hunted man before him.  But, no matter his efforts, the bullets never penetrated, for in a millisecond's time when the bullet was released from its capsule, a huge figure covered the grinning face of the thief, hiding his shining silver hair and golden eyes from the chief.  

            An enormous flower sprang up, as from no where, and its giant mouth dripping with saliva.  Its foul breath lingered in the air, mixing into the smell of fresh roses, creating an unpleasant stench.  It loomed up about several feet from the gunman's head, and he's eye went wide in shock and unknowingness of what to do.  So in a last resort, he continued to fire with a shaking hand, anger clenching his teeth.  

            Unknown to the worried unsure man in front, the man behind the plant seemed reassured that no matter what the police would do, they would never catch him.  His trademark smirk light his face, and look down into his arms, he made sure _it_ was there.  The bloodied mirror, crimson almost invisible against the red glass of the mirror, shone brilliantly.  He clutched its intricate wooden frame, and glanced at his plant's head, waiting for it to quickly finish off the head of police.

            But after a minute, his extremely impatient self decided to abandon the sight, for though hit was quite an amusement to have some fun of playful slaughter once and a while, _waiting_ for his plant to kill the man got extremely boring extremely fast.  Youko sighed, and leap over the wooden beat-up fence that created the dead end of the alley.  He landed silently on the other side and glanced around the alley's ends (which broke into a small desolate street), and peered into the busy crowd.

            "What happened?" A man asked within the crowd.

            "I don't know." Another answered.  Questions of the sort lingered amongst the horde of people, and Youko found this very much to his enjoyment.  He was tremendously haughty, and to hear everyone's plea to know what he had done made him feel good, though they would come to hate and hunt him for it.  He smirked and turned around to jump upon a store's roof, landing a kneeling position and the moonlight catching his hair and sending a strange glow to it once it mixed with the lantern light of the festival below.        

            "Hey look up there!" someone shouted from below.

            Youko looked over his hunched shoulders, his eyes wide in bafflement.  He hadn't expected anyone to see him, for the "merry" festivities below were distracting more than half on the crowd.  But Youko gave the man a small smile, its curve kind and thankful, and made the man shudder.  The fox demon leap off the roof, and onto the street where he now stood, tall and proud, mirror now tucked in his robes, awaiting the mob of angry citizens, lusting for money, and the squads of police men that seemed to follow the rabble were ever they may go, knowing that if they didn't find the bad guy, the villagers always would, for this was a busy little justifying town.

            "It's Youko," A plumb man announced as the kitsune demon came into sight, "Let's get him!"

            "The mob ran forth, screaming things such 'you'll die today Youko!', or 'Kill him!' as they charged.  Youko couldn't help but let a small smile escape to his lips.  The villagers hurtled on as they watch Kurama pull out a seed from his hair, its surface glistening from the few candles (which were in window sills) around them.  And they still rushed ahead, foolishly, but with honor to their deaths as Youko's small curled to one side into a smirk, and the seed turned into a rose, and out of no where, flower petals started to circle around the Fox demon.  

Pink swirled around the thief, much to the crowd's amazement, halting them in their tracks as they watched in confusion and awe.  But as the cherry colored particles flew round and round, the crowd started to realize how stupid it was to be standing around as the one they were trying to harm was just behind some very fragile flowers.  Smirks started to twine their way onto multiple faces of the crowd, and then one man said: "What are we waiting for? It's just flowers, go get him!"  The remark sparked courage and a sense of power into the standing men, and they straightened their backs and continued to charge on.  But they were unaware of the similar smirk that still lit Youko's face, no sign of fear in sight of his beautiful face.  

And one by one each man ran toward the spiraling cylinder of pink, and attacked.  And one by one, each was flung back from the force of the pink petals.  Astonishment jumped onto faces as each man was rejected access to the inners of the helix of pink.  

"What is this?" a man shouted.  The man watched in disbelief as another man ran toward to twist, and adding even more to the observing man's fears was that the attacking man never rebounded.  No, instead he never took a breath again from the last before flinging his sword toward the whorl, for a long green spiked whip came ripping through the petals and revealing the satisfied face of Youko as the whip cut the man into two, littering his gruesome body in front of the cylinder fro Youko to glance at.  The men of the crowd shook, police officers and all. Many started to drop their weapons and with shaking knees run away.  

    A pleased laugh came from the spiral as Youko laughed at the spinelessness of the fleeing men.

"That's right, run foolish little amateurs." He mocked, ending the note with a loud arrogant laugh.

The previous observing man clenched his teeth and growled in frustration.  "We ain't scared of Youko!" He screamed.

"Hmph…" Youko replied with a grin. "If you aren't scared of me, come get me then."

The man lost all control, clenching his knuckles until they were white.  

"I will then!" he yelled, sword raised and racing to his death toward Youko.

Youko's smile suddenly widened, showing off his shining canines, and his eyes sparkled in amusement as he watched in exuberance the imprudent man coming toward him.  And in a slow motion, he raised his hand in the direction of the approaching man, as if reaching out to him.  The man's eyes dilated momentarily as he ran, but they narrowed again in an instant as he smirked at Youko's "silliness".  But once he heard Youko, once he heard Youko "hmph", he knew it was over for him, and pink started to blow into his face that he needed to squint his eyes to protect them.  But the petals cut every inch of his body, sending broken lines of blood into the air, and he yelled out with a last breath and released his anguish.

The horde of men in front of the fox demon seemed to decrease even quicker once the bloodied corpse of the man was revealed to the public's eyes, the pink petal returning back to the pink shield around Youko.   People started to run from the scene, onlookers too, all fleeing the wrath of this very much wanted criminal.  And then there were those that stayed, and held there weak front against him, all on vibrating legs.  Youko frowned, this was getting boring now.  But he placed a stern and annoyed look quickly onto his face to assure the crowd of his power, and unwillingness to let down, (for the petals had not yet fully closed off his face to the people yet and still illustrated his face).  And again the crowd of angry men hurtled toward him, and Youko's face, well hidden by the flowing mass of flowers he sent lethargically into the path of the crowd, as now tired and bored.  As he watched the people drop like flies before him, his face returned to it's emotional, clear face, and he sighed as he jumped quickly and quietly to the store's roof again, and taking out his mirror to keep in hand, pass into the night; just side glancing at the chief and the team of doctors as they examined the three girls below. 

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Hello again everyone!  Hopefully this chapter did not annoy you with the lack of Botan-ness.  But hey, she was there. ^__^.  I put some action in this time, yay.Hopefully the repetitive words did not annoy you guys, I didn't really look this over, I wanted it to get out quick-like. Anyways reviewer time!

**AnimeBunny**: Really, you've been wanting to read it for a while?! Well yay, know you have finally read it, and I await to hear from you again once you read this chapy. ^__^

**Galandria**** the Vampire Queen**: You want the romance to come in? Well dear, you must be patient, it's a virtue ^___^, one that I don't have so just please try to be patient, pretty please?

**Kuramas**** Kitsune**: *hands you a HUGE bag full of Kurama plushies and shouts* THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! *hands you a sundae* You actually gave me a review for all chapters to date! I'm so happy!! Thank you so much! I await to hear from you again!!!  You are very good at inflating my ego and making me feel loved. 

**Liz Inc**: Thankies, and I agree, computers and web sites seem to annoy me often.  Takes to long to load a page or they just don't work and I jus tgenerally computers are annoying and stupid.  They may seem smart but really their only that way because we program them to be that way.  If it wasn't for us, well, ok, enough about computers, without them, I'm sure I would get marked down a lot on neatness for assignments and I wouldn't be able to bring you this new chapter.^_^;

**shygurl**: Do you mean sweet story as cool or cute?_? Well, anyways, thankies, either way.^_^

**frith**: periwinkle? I guess so, butv whatever.^_^ I'm happy that you're happy, and is my story really that addicting? I didn't think so. And about the humor ghost/Youko story, you're good at humor, you should do it, but you have to give me like, oh I know! Do you think it would be a good idea to have 1 author account and both of us know the password and we have a ghost Youko story in which I would write a chapter, you read it, then you write a chapter, I read it, and we keep updating like that. A kinda improvise thing. Sound ok? I don't know, what do you think?  And one other note…you're not going to update _Until the Stars Fade_ until you're unloaded with work, oh no. I love that story.  Botan is a little close to Shuuichi as friend though, I mean that thing when she kissed him after he gave her the communicator, but it was a very cute scene. ^_^ 

**black-thorndragon****: **Thank You, finally, you better review me again!^_^

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Now my dearies, click the **periwinkle** button *glance at **frith***and review, that is how you motivate me to keep going; I love to hear from you guys, and to get reviews make me feel loved. ^_^;


	9. Encounter

Hello, and I'm back! Enjoy, and I'm sorry if any of the chapters have had crazy font!

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_Chapter Nine: The Encounter _

            White clashed and gold glinted dangerously under the moon's intensified light as the youkai proceeded through the dark.  The figure sprinted easily through the tree-burdened forest, clutching a wooden mirror in hand as he excelled past the pace of any average being.  

"Over there!" A man shouted from behind.

An elegant fox ear smoothly swiveled around to the noise as the intense golden orbs glanced out the corner of their sockets to see if the men had caught up to the beautiful fox demon. Youko turned his attention back to the unclear path ahead of him.  His ear perked and vigilant, he listened for any sounds that suggested the distance between him and his pursuers.  He glanced determinedly ahead, blinking as he became but a blur of silver against the thicket.  

"He's there, I saw some silver over there!" Another voice sounded from behind.

Youko turned his head a tad to glimpse behind him, his hair twirling slightly as he fluidly moved.  A smirk slowly, reluctantly, held back by the thief, started to wind its way onto his pale face in excitement and anticipation.  But…the thing is…He'd had a long, tiring night.  And though thieving and massacre was the highlight of his longevity, along with a few _other_ things, strangely, he needed a break from it once and a while; and when it came to smirking, his face would just automatically resume the state whenever blood was expected to spill.  But of course, he would never suppose it would be his own injury (if possible of his own) that would leak.  

He turned forward again, letting a sigh escape to calm his mind's lust for blood and pleasure.  The almost complete silence of his footsteps was drowned away in the roar of the evening wind; its breath tossing the kitsune's lissom hair and fox tail, sending them flying behind him, and it pushed the cloth of his clothes ruffled against his toned body as he ran.  He heard them, the hunters.  They were still unbelievably on his unmarked and swift trail toward his home. He narrowed his eyes and growled in frustration as he continued his easeful pace. They were getting closer, he could feel their spirit energy flowing side by side, in the run along with the extreme rage that had been bottled up and then released at the absolute horror scene of the festival. Their nearness was almost impending, but 10 meters away, and their quick-footed possible danger approached as they gritted their teeth and pushed the scratchy bushes out of their way.

_'I have to loose them.'_ Youko told himself.

He raced on, feeling the reflex excitement start to well up in his body and form an uneasy pit in his stomach as his two sides fought one another. One side, wanting to flee, and the other, wanting to fight, wanting to take on what it has adapted to be doing all these years.  Ever since that day.  That faithful day…long ago….  

Blinking, the fox halted to a stop as he entered a clearing, the river seen through the trees familiar, the one and the same that had almost taken his life but a while ago.  Blue and mauve flashed through his brain, and he remembered that fortunate girl.  The girl that had almost inflicted a watery grave upon him; how lucky she was, and foolish of him, to have him save her. He wrinkled his nose and grimaced at the thought, '_a watery death' _he thought to himself, _' Am__ I really that deserving of such a petty **commoner's **death?'_He halted momentarily, but sped again.  But not into the forest again; no, strangely, miraculously, so unlike him, he didn't flee into the surrounding trees, which was already contradictory to his regular self.  No, he instead threaded through the thin group of gnarled and leaved structures and slipped onto the muddy bank of the river. 

  Mud blemished his white attire as he went tumbling ineptly down the wet and slippery slope of the winding course of water.  As uncomfortable as he was with this escape plan, it had come to him as the best way to loose the ningens and hateful demons that had stalked him so far.  He absolutely hated the filthy way down to the water, the multiple branches and shrubs seemed to break and scratch and cling to his skin as he made contact with them and the muck that lay under them was as much of a hassle if a plant did not cover it up.  The disgruntled fox, if his hands had not break contact, he would have landed straight into the mire, either into an uncomfortable wet sitting position or straight face down.  It was those times when he would have to work to get up, careful not to slip off the mud below, and initiate his velocity again, in hopes that his irritated growls wouldn't reach the ears of the followers. And after a great deal of agitating motions and falls, Youko finally reached the river, his efforts finally rewarding him in the cool satisfaction of the night waters' flowing stream, it's litheness so like a alive liquid black that bathed in the moonlight, and purged Youko's clothes of all it's discoloring.  

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            Botan sighed, for probably the fourteenth time since her early introduction to the hot spring.  She raised her hand from the steaming waters and glanced sadly at it.  Despite the redness it had from its watery retrieval, it had started to prune and Botan, like most girls, didn't think that was the most greatest or attractive thing in the world.  She sighed again, it wasn't like she should care though, who was there to impress around here?  Youko? Like she would sink so low as to date a…womanizer. 

She brought her hand to her collarbone, almost as if embracing it, and surprisingly, she felt a heat _hotter_ around her wrist than the liquid that welled around her, and her nerves quickly picked up the signal, and caused her to flinch.  A yelp reached her mouth and she drew her other hand back, thrusting the heated away from her in unison; sending sprinkles of searing clear drops rising from the pool and into the air.  And as if in slow motion, her eyes dilated at the sight of silver and the _clink_ of charms.  She paused and looked at the hoary for a second, her mind suddenly blank and searching for recognition of the object that laced her wrist.  And though it seemed like a quick minute to her, in a fleeting split second, acknowledgment of the object flashed into her mind and backgrounding it, a young boy, just a few ages older than she, but ever so close in spirit.  

"Taisho…" she whispered to herself.  Her lashes lowered, covering the lavender eyes partially in remembrance of the sadness that had plagued her all these years. But the crystal like clearness of the lilac turned back to the present reality again and went sweeping to the bracelet on her wrist.  _'How long have you been here? That I have not known you or acknowledged you?' _she thought to herself.  Her mind began to recollect to the previous night.  The anger and jealously that coursed through her veins that night when she found that her teacher had unintentionally taken her role of the killer, and made her nothing but the watcher as he would take all the glory in killing her ultimate enemy, had now faded, but the pure hatred still lingered.  But pushing the thought aside, she hardened her eyes and turned her attention elsewhere, and became fixated upon the opal on her wrist.

The foggy white of the pearls shone in the half-light of the room; the fire of the surrounding touching an orange glow upon its surface, making her eyes soften.  Botan smiled at the lovely ornaments, her grin turning slightly confused yet quietly amazed as she traced the strange twisted central piece with her finger, feeling the now warm heated surface.  Botan squinted at the feeling, its heat ever so familiar as it should be.  She let a sigh of content waft from her mouth, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.  It felt so like living warmth, if not for the palpable falseness of it and its naturally cool surface that had been gnarled in an elegant fashion. She sighed, and leaving her thoughts at that, she placed her palms behind her, atop the ground level of the room, and lifted herself up and slowly, almost lazily, into a heavy cloud of steam.  She squinted and waved her hand in front of her face, blowing the haze away and finding her way to the doorway of the entrance.  Her mind started to wonder what she was to do with her clothes now as she walked nimbly past the huge plants (that continued to nip at her sleeves for water) and into the dark, torch lit passage way. 

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            Botan glanced around; carefully taking note of any being that might be present.  Seeing that Youko had not reentered the cave, she looked around again unknowingly and gingerly placed her hand on the wall furthest from the light of the shining moon, from the entrance, and followed it's rocky surface to her resting place hours ago.  She shivered as her hands traced the damp cave's walls, and her fingers now sensitive to touch after the bath, made the rough surface now seem scraping and pricking to her delicate skin.  

            "Ohh…" she wined silently to herself, "where am I going?"

            Botan inched her fingers slowly across the scabrous inners of the damp cave, her body still sweating from her latest encounter of sweat-causing water.  She rose each foot with caution, careful not to slip from under due to the extremely mobile sand below.  

            After what seemed like an eternity of crawling along the walls of the grotto, she could finally make out the brambly points of the hay and the smooth, worn bowl of a bed that she had slept in hours ago.  

            "There it is." She told herself quietly. 

            Letting her hand off the wall she hurried clumsily, tripping and slipping on the grains below, she stumbled toward the bed, and upon reach, almost falling straight into the rock. Her eyes widened in sudden fear and disbelief as she just narrowly missed the boulder, luckily and swiftly pushing her hands out to break the fall.  

            "Huh…" She sighed, still quiet baffled at her near escape.  Straightening up, Botan turned around, and stupidly, fell backwards purposely onto the hard cold surface of her bed.  

            "Ow." She said, blushing from embarrassment, rubbing her hindquarters, "that hurt." 

She sighed again, _I really am being stupid._ She told herself.  Sighing for what seems like the twentieth time this day, she flung up her arms and shouted: "What's wrong with me!" And as quick as her hands rouse, she pulled them down to clutch her wet body, shivering as a swirling gust of leaves came passing through the mouth of the cave.   Ridding aboard the invisible train of wind, the cold came swooping in and disturbed her limp clothes, the wind pushing itself against her body and chilling her already frigid body.  

            "It's cold." She told herself. Botan looked around the den, her eyes trying to fit into every spot of black that was in her front.  _I need something to change into. _ Her quick and natural senses told her.  Her eyes squinted, and they seemed to shiver as her eyes stated to glance around the room.  She tucked her head down into the shelter of her folded arms for a moment, her arms wrapping themselves around her knees and body to keep warm.  She started to relish her breath, which had started to cloud and waft warmly within the security of her forelimbs, tickling her cold knees from above the cloth and keeping her frigid body warm. _ What is there in here that someone would want anyways! _ Her mind screamed, _It's__ too cold on nights like these to stay in a house like this! _Her mind started to complain silently to itself about its discomforts, her eyes still glancing around the room in desperation of finding warm clothes. 

            '_What am I doing?'_ Botan asked herself, anger starting to kindle in her eyes,_ 'I should be up and looking for clothes, not sitting here. The exercise may actually keep me warm anyways.' _ Botan started to straighten out, her body still shivering. She walked quickly over the once difficult ground, stretching her hands out to grope at any cloth that may serve for warmth.  And suddenly, miraculously, she spotted something.  It was an anemic white in the darkness, but as she ventured closer, and its ghastly paleness started to disappear and become warm beige.  A small smile started to come her face, and her eyes started to glint in happiness as she picked up the loose thick shirt from the small chair from where it lay.  Quickly looking around again for signs of the fox demon, seeing emptiness within the cave as far as her eyes could reach in the half light, she raced into the direction she thought the hall had been.  She staggered over the dull blanche looking sand to the corridor and fortunately finding it, Botan startedto sprint gleefully down a short way into its depth. 

            A full smile came to her face as she reached what she thought was a safe distance from the doorway of the hall, taking a look at the fabric in her hand, and one last quick look around, she started to undress.  Undoing the once elegant and now drooping bow at the back, she gently started to remove her obi. And her kimono advantageously still clinging securely in coverage to her body in wetness, she folded the obi and placed it on the ground.  She straightened up in glee, smiling brightly and almost to the point of laughter.  Strange? Yes, strange it seems, to be so happy about clothes, even one as ragged-looking as this beige attire, but the impending warmth pleased her in this time of (to Botan) despair and helplessness. 

Botan continued to joyously undress to don the creamy garment.  But as she raised her hand to her shoulder to begin to tiredly unplaster the peach of her kimono, she glanced around again, her intuition sending a shiver up her spine and forcing her to turn behind her. Her frame became still, and a scream threatened to spill as it welled in her throat.  She suddenly, willingly, started to push herself into the nearest wall from the direction of her previous turn, from the alert and coldly amused aurum that ran along her structure, a smirk playing along lips.  Botan's eyes widened, and finally finding her voice, she shrieked, blushing, and started to run in the other direction.  She turned a bend and glanced back around at the offender. And Botan, her face flushed even more, and voice shaking, her body trembling no longer from the cold, but from anger, she demanded to the other: "Get. Away. From. Me."

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            Youko sneered licentiously, "Well, look what I find once I return home? That," He said, standing up and walking to her, "should be so much of a show?"  She flinched away and started to back up.  The blush that adorned her pretty face flared up again, and she could feel his eyes matching her move away.  She started when she felt something hard against her back, and horror captured her gaze as she looked back and met the dusty face of the cave wall.  Turning back she gasped and reddening even more, her breath stopped once the fox's aroma reached her nostrils.  Roses ensnared her smell, and she squinted her eyes close as she felt his warmth get nearer.  She could feel it; he towered over her scrunching form, water dripping onto the muddy ground when it missed her body.  Her arms were protectively together against her chest in reflex, and her knees bent as the demon placed one arm at the side of her head and the other, it's finger raising her face to meet his.  

            She opened her tear filled eyes and saw his molten gold gaze on her own.  She shuddered, and gasped again, as she proceeded in the process of the lamentation.  Youko's eyes began to flicker excitingly, and his face starting to lower toward hers.  She suppressed a yelp, dryness reaching her throat, and her mind raced at what to do.  She could feel his breath tickling her neck and check, and she could hear the mad swishing of his tail upon the ground, and she denied herself breath as he came nearer.  And then she felt his cold, semi-wet cheek just graze her own and felt the inhalation of his mouth right by her ear.  

"You should be careful, changing your clothes in someone else's house in a convenient location, it's a foolish thing to do." He whispered quietly into her ear.

Botan revealed her orbs of pink again and side glanced dazed to his face and cascading flow of silver hair.  But then, suddenly, she gasped in fright, her eyes widening, escaping her abrupt down of guard, and she shivered, tears beginning to well in her eyes again.  She squeezed her eyes closed, and her mind continued to fly thoughts and emotion within her brain, paralyzing her, confusing her, and rendering her helpless.  She felt his tongue shamelessly lick over his lips and she turned her head to the side, attempting to avoid whatever his intentions may be.  _What am I going to do? _She mind screamed.  Sweating, she tried to calm down, and she relaxed, endeavoring to find someway to get out of the terrible situation she had now brought upon her.  Her mind cleared, and she tried to remain tranquil under the fox demon's dripping impending shadow.  She felt him getting even closer, and suddenly, a spark flew in her head and her eyelids shot open to reveal a determined pink.

Her nose wrinkled in aggravation and with all the force she could manage, she rose her knee to hit her pursuer. She heard him grunt in slight pain, and a look of success beamed brightly upon her face.  But it all but disappeared once she saw that he had not released hold of her, for her slouched form had not helped her at all.  Instead of hitting her target, she saw that his leg shivering and shaking in instability.  She glanced at it and then backed up, straightening as much as possible from her offender.  A firm expression remained unwavering on her features as she tried to straighten up for another try.   

Youko growled, and held her where she was.  She glowered at him, and watched as he furrowed his brow in frustration, his tail now slower in it's sweeping. Botan continued to glare at him menacingly, and was surprised to see him straighten up and let her up.  Her eyebrows knitted, and she stared as he watched her straighten up.  She erected her back, and returning to a normal standing position, she kept her distance.  She backed up from the fox demon, confusion playing on her face.  Her expression had become softer, but she made sure her defense still stood obviously, but it had indeed eased.  She stared at him questioningly, her eyes narrowing as if to try to see past any facade the fox had put up. 

Youko smirked.  His arms now crossed, he stared back at her with an amused and expecting expression upon his handsome face. But suddenly it became strict and deadly as he opened his mouth.  

"You should be more careful, be aware that this is _my_ home.   That goes for anyone's house."  And with that, he turned, his tail swishing behind as he went, and walked out into the main cavern.  Botan watched as he retreated into the darkness, his form easily seen among the black. 

"You simply weren't worth it." Came a voice from the darkness, making Botan turn surprised toward the shadows.  And even though she couldn't peer well into the dark with her human vision, she was sure a smirk played upon Youko's mocking face.

She glowered at the dark, but what she found was strange.  She just couldn't help but feel that…he wasn't such a bad guy after all.  But then again he did just try to violate her.  She grimaced at the thought, and turned around again to see if she could make out Youko's withdrawing whiteness within the cave, or his mischievous glowing gold eyes.  Finding no sight of silver or gold, she smiled and she picked the long beige shirt off the floor where she had dropped it seemingly some heated minutes ago, and she herself retreated.  But not into the dark as Youko had, no, Botan, retreated into the light of the touch-lit hall, ensuring her own privacy as she went to change. 

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Such a good writing mood today, at least, for that little 'encounter' if you want to call it that. Well hope you enjoyed it! Remember to click the review button! That is how I tell I'm loved! ^_^ (I know, weird, but yes.) Toodles! And another note. Lotsa ya basically say: Youko is an evil bastard, but yet you love him anyways. Yes, well, Youko is evil, I don't know why I make him so, maybe to get rid of my evil dark side that may plague my life? I don't know! I'm not completely an optimistic person often.^_^; And hope this chapter is ok w/ font and content, I really didn't want to read it over. ^_^; I should get a beta reader  maybe…I don't know, I kind a like to read it myself.^_^ 

Reviewer time!:

**lieiavalon2044: **Thankies! Hey, what does "Ja!" mean? I asked someone before and they refuse to tell me. -_-; Can you tell me? Pretty please? ^_^?

**Volpone****: **Yay, very nice to hear from you again, I'm glad you got your computer back, ^_^ And yes, I agree. Even though Youko is a bastard, he is **very** good looking. ^_^

**Fire Gemron:** Hello, nice to hear from you, it's been awhile, haven't heard from you since…*looks back* long time ago, yay, nice to hear from you! ^_^ And about Kuronue, him being in this ficcie, well…you'll just have to wait and see now won't you? ^_^ And yes, you were correct, he was in jail, don't we all just want to go bust him out and have him all to ourselves? Oh, and I've been to your website, interesting.^_^

**shygurl****: **envious?! Wow, never had anyone say that before. ^_^ You liked the killing scene? Yay! I'm glad you liked it! ^_^ It's well written? Wow…Thank you so much, Thankies so much!  YAY! *all happy, hands you a chocolate bar *^^ Enjoy!

**Galandria**** the Vampire Queen:** Hellooo! Yay, thanks for waiting for the future arrival of romance. Was this chapter of Youko hitting on Botan good for ya? Hope you enjoyed if not non-the-less. See ya later and I'm really glad you're enjoying my ficcie!!! ^_^ *big grin*

**Frith****:** Wow. o_o, you think my chapters have really been no short of spectacular ^_^*big smile!* You really think so?! That makes me feel great! I'm so happy now, well happier than before, (which was already pretty happy)! Wow, ego going up! Anyways, I'm so flattered, Thank you so much! And for FN limited, we need a title I have noticed. Ummm…And, why is it FN limited? Limited part I mean.^_^

**Liz Inc:** wow, fic of your own, wow. And I'm sorry, but I don't know a red head ferry girl, but I do know there's one named Ayame? I don't know if she's made up, but she appears in a lota fics, (or are those all **Volpone**'s?) I'm sorry I can help, I haven't seen the movie, either that is. I want the second one, and I guess the first too! Well, the second has Youko, but both look interesting somewhat. ^_^ Sorry I can't help. And yes, your computer is ok. ^_^

**Lady Nightshade:** Wow, you're so nice, apologizing for not reviewing, in a review. ^_^ Not that that's never happened and others don't do it, but I've never had anyone do it in a review for a chapy.  Wow, you=good person.   I'm glad you enjoyed it! And a convenient way to tell when someone updates is to put the author of the fic on your author alert in your author main menu page thing that pops up when you log on. That way you get an email that says when I start a new fic or when  I update.  But  I guess it's only good if you check email, I know how little time so people have these days, me included. Ugh…-_-;. Anyways, I also always update over a weekend, not necessarily every weekend (I got HW, ugh-_-), but weekends, probably Fridays, maybe Sundays, Saturdays, you have time on weekends to check mail, right? Hopefully. Well, see ya later!


	10. History Part 1

Hiya! I'm back everyone, yes...it has been a while since I have updated but at least I have a chapter here for you now! Enjoy everyone! Disclaimer: I don't own it. Sad as it may seem *sigh*  
  
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Chapter 10: History Part 1  
  
Botan sighed as she began to unplaster the peach of her kimono from her wet and still quite nervously shivering body. Tracing the hem of the front of her attire, she found her way to the collar and began to peel back the sticking cloth and remove her arms from its clinging embrace. The calm of the surrounding atmosphere seemed to caress her form as she hid herself reassuringly in the smoke of the spring room.  
  
'That bastard' Botan thought as she continued to slowly undress, looking back once in a while to make sure Youko's prying, perverted eyes weren't there.  
  
Once finished with the task of pulling back the top of her garb, she grimaced as the dampness forced the cloth to peel slowly down her figure and expose her leg little by little. Dropping the beige cloth of the shirt she had been holding, she quickly pulled the attire back up, concealing her body once again, and flushed. Bashfully, her eyes suddenly became enlarged in a sudden realization as they traced themselves down to the floor.  
'Wait a minute,' she told herself as she glanced down at the fawn of the chemise, 'How am I going to cover my whole body with only that?!"  
  
Botan, blushing still, huffed, after quickly and reluctantly donning the uncomfortable peach again, using it to its full extent, she set her eyes boldly, yet a little shakingly, toward the entrance door. With one hand holding her drooping outfit up, she tiredly, tread through the dim hallway from the fresh smelling room of the spring, past the huge flowers that continued nip at her sleeves and hair, and toward Youko.  
  
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Youko's eyes fluttered from shut to open, and back again as swirls of sleepy mist shrouded his mind. Leaning against the damp wall of the cavern, his arms behind his head in a relaxed position, and his body comfortable in the soft of the hay underneath, his breath began to deepen, and his eyes began to droop closed. Sleep seemed to be like an enchantress to him, almost a witch. It cast a spell upon him, and lured him toward sleep with clawed fingers tickling his skin. Its hands seemed to trace the frame of his face with a lover's touch and cause him to fall into the dangerous state of vulnerability. A miniscule smile spread onto Youko's lips as the imaginary touches played out in his mind, almost fooling to be real. He sighed, and began to relax into his position, his body finding the warmth of the fire before him comforting with its reaching glows upon his wet skin, and all the while, his mind found the swirling of sleep provoking mist, extremely enjoyable.  
  
Youko's mind began to dim, and the smoke of slumber began to take effect; like venom that may have leaked from the enchantress' fingertips, flowing a gentle killer through live veins. Yet something disturbed him from the tranquility of sleep. His ears, trained to be alert at all times, suddenly perked up, and a giggle could be heard from about a meter away. Soft pat pat's could clearly be heard by the kitsune's acute hearing, and he wrinkled his nose and squished his eyes tight shut in attempt to drown away the sound. A small gentle 'hmph' was now heard but two feet away, and halfheartedly, Youko's glazed aurum eyes peeled open, and grazed over the fore object. His eyes seemed to shoot open at once, and his breath was caught in his throat as he went over the form for the second time. His mouth had fallen a gap slightly, sending an act of averting of amethyst from the girl in front of him. She cleared her throat, and started to speak, her feet shuffling nervously.  
  
"Uhmmm," Botan coughed, her cheeks turning a little rosy, "Do you think you can...get me a whole clean set of clothes to wear?"  
  
Youko's eyes seemed to return to their normal size, and a sly smirk glided up his mouth.  
  
"Why do you need to change?" he asked, turning his head a little to side-glance over Botan's showy figure. "I think you look fine the way you are."  
  
He noticed the girl start at his comment, and her shoulders slightly bend inward. Youko let his head droop, looking up Botan through his eyelashes. He watched as she closed her eyes to regain composure. A sly smile formed onto his lips as she proceeded to focus her attention. 'Hmph.' Youko said to himself, 'How confident does she think she can get in my presence?' But as Botan opened her eyes, Youko's head snapped up, following her strong glare. His breath was caught a second time in his throat as he stared back.  
  
"Youko," Botan began, "Give me clothes. Please. Now."  
  
A urged its way to the fox's face, but was pushed down as a smile took its fake place took its place. But despite the polite smiles, his eyes narrowed drastically in a threatening mood. 'What is this girl thinking? What is he doing?' Youko's mind queried. He just couldn't get it. How is it that...this girl...had the nerve to stick up for herself in such a situation? How did she find the gall to even question him for a favor? And not to mention that he, himself, was involved in it, he! The absolute best thief in the three lands! Women have been known to throw themselves at him. But yet...this girl...had something strange.... How can she be so...demanding...in front of him?  
  
"Do you notice..." Youko began, but then stopped, sighing. He watched her stare for a second, fear streaked eyes into his own, before looking away and pondering.  
  
The girl was taken aback at first, but abrupt fear had been substituted by a curious worry.  
  
"What?" Botan asked, reluctantly letting her concern show. Youko smiled, but shook his head. 'Never mind' was all that came as the kitsune got up and walked en route for the darkness. But there was a secret aggravation; cool as the cave's chilling wall that Botan didn't know about. 'How is that she is this way?' Youko thought. She was supposed to fear him...wasn't she? All beings, man or youkai, were suppose to...right?  
  
Youko, walked past the lit, crackling fire and approached the black with ease and knowing. A frown had now come to crease deeply into his face, the gentle smile that was there before, was nonexistent, as it had never been; (as it had been, for it was the fox's sly trickery). He walked blindly without a guiding light through the black, the entire interior imprinted in his mind. Approaching a boulder near the wall opposite the one Botan now sat facing; he snatched up the black attire and sash that lay there and wondered back toward the female at the other side. Her blue hair coming into view, he couldn't help but let his frown crease ever more  
  
"Here." He said coldly, coming from behind her. He dumped the clothes in her lap as he walked past her and strode back to his "bed", and sat down. Seeing her rise to dress, he was surprised to find her bowing.  
  
"Thank you Kurama-sama." She replied obediently before shuffling once again into the hallway.  
  
'Kurama-sama?' Youko's mind repeated. He snorted, and not dwelling on it too long, he leaned back against the wall, and after several minutes, rose to lean against the entrance of the grotto.  
  
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Botan let out a deep breath of air as she strode down the hallway. 'I saw that.' She told herself, 'I know he's mad at me. But what I don't get...is why he didn't outright just kill me there. But then again...he's a thief. Silent, unexpected attack must be his thing. Ugh...and that look he gave me...that sent shivers up my spine and almost made me cringe! He's scary...the womanizer.'  
  
Botan sighed, and looked down to the cloth that was gripped tightly within her fingers. Examining the attire, she found it was a dull blue- white sash and a large black, and low collared shirt with a matching set of pants.  
  
"Ugh..." Botan groaned, holding up the outfit, "How is this any better?"  
Turning back for a second, she gave a tired sigh and walked back in the direction of the spring room.  
  
'Forget it.' She told herself, 'it's too much trouble to walk back and ask him for other clothes, he may even get angrier with me. Then what would happen?'  
  
Turning a corner, she picked up the beige shirt from before, and mist started to shroud her vision. A grin came to her face. She walked past the flowers, surprised to find herself pleased at their company. Their petals fluttered around her as she proceeded toward the fore room of steam. Upon reaching the entrance, she took note to not fall into the pool as before, and edged around the slippery, but still stable rim. Reaching a corner she collapsed, a small laugh coming from her mouth. Finally, for some reason, she found a sort of calm, easygoing atmosphere. It seemed that a sudden burst of happiness was all that was needed to just wisp everything annoying out of her mind  
  
Again peeling the cloth off her body, at last, (checking once more for Youko), she let the cloth drop to the floor, the steam spreading out to let the cloth plow through the air. She slipped the huge black shirt on and pouted once she looked down. The collar was v-necked down way too much and it was way over her collarbone. And another problem was that though it was low collared, it was somewhat tight, and right at the end of the v- neck, the cloth attached for only about five centimeters of fabric, then parted to expose her stomach.  
  
"Mmmmm...." She wined as she thought. And suddenly she got an idea. Reaching for the sash that she had left on the ground as she had collapsed in joy, she tied it around the area of her breasts. Then crossing the two strips of thin textile, she brought them to the front of her body, and bringing one strip over her stomach, she brought them together tied at her left side. 'There,' she told herself, 'That'll do.'  
  
Now picking up the black pants, she slipped them on, and found them to her astonishment, that they fit her exactly. Her pink eyes widen and she looked back over her side to make sure it was indeed a perfect comfortable fit. She just couldn't believe it, how lucky it was for her, but then why...would Youko have pants that fit a girl around? 'Oh yeah...that fact....' But she shrugged it away, and gathering her old attire, she continued back toward the living room. Walking down the hall, the flowers didn't seem to recognize her anymore and instead growled in defense. She ignored them and continued to move along.  
  
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The drawing room was silent once she reached it. Looking around she couldn't find the fox anywhere. The fire had been put out, and she could see the moon outside starting to rise in a canvas of orange yielding to midnight blue.  
  
"Hello?" She sounded through the cave. But no response came.  
  
"Hello?' she repeated again. Walking through the grotto she searched for the fox demon. The sand underneath shifted dangerously in the dark unknown, and Botan could feel a pit starting to develop in her stomach.  
  
"Hello?" she said again, this time more quietly, "Youko?"  
  
As she neared the wall that Youko had been leaning against, she heard a deep breathing. Getting closer, her squinted eyes and could see the white form of the youkai against the black, and she couldn't help but giggle a little when he snorted and mumbled something forcefully to the like of 'No. I said no!' The commentary spread a smile onto Botan's lips. A thought occurred to Botan, but she shook her head to knock it away, for she noticed...Youko was no longer sleeping after her quiet interruption of little laughs and intruding 'hello's'. But still she thought, though reluctantly, as the thought refused to back away, he did look somewhat pretty asleep. She hesitated, and decided not to reach out and tuck back a strand of hair that fell before his face, and instead smiled and began to walk to the nearest bowl of hay that was a bed, her guard now back up. But she never made it when she had wanted to, for a hand stopped her from behind.  
  
She turned over her shoulder with a menacing glare at the palm that latched onto her wrist.  
  
"Let go of me." She demanded. But that was something regretted. Right after her mandate, as soon as the words fell from her mouth, his grip tightened, and his eyes flared with a hidden fire.  
  
"You should remember who you talk to." He said, loosing his grip on her until his palm slipped from her wrist completely. "Know you're place." He calmly slid back down to sitting position from the stand at which he had secured Botan, and watched as she did the same; landing onto the bed nearest with grace light as a feather. He surveyed her with a cold, pointless look, in a sitting stance of arms wrapped around one up-brought knee, and he waited for her to do something. And when she did nothing but sit, he looked uninterested, away. Feeling the awkward silence, Botan cleared her throat and not looking the thief in the eyes, she attempted conversation.  
  
"So, uhmm...," she began, but she was at a lost of words. She didn't know what to say, or talk about. Who does when you are a girl and the person you're talking to has a life of crime and is a renowned handsome pervert!?  
  
"Why do I keep you here?" Youko finished for her.  
  
"Uh...yes...sure." she said, shifting in the strange new attire she had donned and fiddling with her nervous hands. She looked through her lashes shyly at the thief's coveted face, which was still turned away.  
  
"To tell you the truth..." Youko began, "I don't know myself." He looked over at her with his striking gold orbs. "However...I do know there is something about you that is alluring. I don't know if it is but your looks..." He continued, looking back away, casting his eyes to the blue-ing sky outdoors, "Or if it is something else."  
  
"Wait," Botan said, curiosity running through her voice, "You mean...you just saved me because...I'm...different?"  
  
"Yes, I would guess. Maybe it was your foolish way of challenging me when your training was not yet done, the immature way you rushed in. Or perhaps it was the strange way you saved me from your sensei's swords and then ran me to a clearing to kill me yourself; maybe it's just your sheer peculiarity that intrigues me.... But I do not know."  
  
Botan couldn't quite take it all in, this youkai thief, the best, number one at what he does...but does he only know but that? 'He seems so confused.' She thought. It just puzzled her, how he could be so cold, so dangerous that no one dared to mold him, yet at the same time, he was so vulnerable to be molded by an outside force in categories, he did not know. So this youkai thief did have a weakness...and it seemed that besides the fact that he did violate women, that was not his only weakness. His weakness...was his blank slate in areas of unknown unexperties. Botan smiled, she could use this to her advantage.  
  
Youko's eyes darted back to face her.  
  
"Why are you smiling so? What are you thinking?"  
  
"Nothing." She said, wiping the grin from her face as fast as possible. She looked down as Youko's piercing glance ran over her. She blushed a little as she saw the moon's early rays shine upon his silver hair, casting an eerie illusion of beauty upon him. 'Wow' she thought to herself, 'He's really pretty.' She looked up as he looked away. She cleared her throat again, and started to speak.  
  
"Uhmm...Youko..." She said. He looked over tiredly at her. "Is it alright if I ask...where's your family?" Youko's eyes shot open, but in a moment's time, went to normal size, the enlargement barely visible in that instant's time. He seemed to be hesitating. He did not speak.  
  
"Was it alright that I asked?" Botan said, concern weaved throughout her voice.  
  
"Nobody's ever really asked me that..before." The kitsune thief replied.  
  
"Oh..." Botan said. She was left with a sense of unknowing again. She wasn't sure if it O.K. to ask, or not. But before she was able to think of anything else to say, Youko spoke.  
  
"My family was slaughtered years ago." He said, quite unaffected by the sad event at all. Botan almost gasped, but it was held back, in a quite catch of herself.  
  
"I'm sorry." She answered, averting her eyes to the floor.  
  
"All except my mother." He continued. Botan's head snapped back up.  
  
"What happened to her? Is she alive?" A sense of franticness showed through her voice loud and clear, causing Youko to narrow his eyes at her suspiciously. After looking at her expression again, he questioned her.  
  
"Why do want to know this?"  
  
"Huh..."Botan said, "Uhmm...I just want to know." Youko raised his eyebrow delicately for a second, but continued.  
  
"She was raped by the man whose army destroyed my pack and family." Botan couldn't help but gasp a bit this time, and Youko smiled at the reaction. He waited a while, smirking to himself at how she waited on him to find out this little tid-bit of information.  
  
"And that is how...I came into existence."  
  
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Ahh...Chapter done. I feel good now. And I have something to say: Computers...are the stupidest things in the world, my computer decided to become jacked up again! Grr! Well, I hope you can all read this and it gets onto the computer, grr! Well, anyways, always...Read and Review!!!!!!!  
  
^_^ Reviewer time!:  
  
Lady Nightshade: I'm going! ^_^ As you can see, they're just starting to know each other.^_^ And you check your mail twice a day? Do you always get mail? Wish I did. ^_^;  
  
Liz Inc.: K/B!? Yay! And thanks!  
  
Galandria the Vampire Queen: Don't you dare die! I cannot possibly allow you to die, especially from my fic! Here, *waves chapter frantically in front of you*, don't die! an overly dramatic person, aren't I? Haha.  
  
JD Fielding: Thanks! Wow, you analyze a lot. You must be a good student, good person. ^_^, anyways, thanks, and am I really on you fav list? Cool. Thanks. And I hope this chapter cleared up something for you!  
  
Frith: So amazed you'll sing? Wow, hey if you like to sing...^_^ You should really be in a musical, oh, and I have to tell you about Les Miserables....but I plan to do that in a creative way. ^_^ Anyways, your writing is so superb as to attract so many people first chapter of Phantom Kiss! Great job! ...Genius. ^_^  
  
eVa We R lOsT: Love the name! It's great. A Youko/Botan fan? YAY! And your actually not like the last y/b fan I had review, she threatened to send bad news about my fic to all her friends so they wouldn't review! -_-. Anyways...hope you enjoyed this chapy!  
  
Xen003: I've always loved your name as well. What is it again, heh, heh? ^_^; Anyways...you haven't reviewed till now!? =_=, ugh...why? It's kinda depressing. Why? I know how it feel it get reviews too.... But anyways...you have reviewed before, I believe, a while ago. Anways...hope you enjoyed the chapter and *perks up a little* have fun R&R! ^_^ and I hope you update Entangled soon!  
  
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Okay, that's all everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and see ya later! I'll update when I can! Don't know when that is, because you know why? I have another fic to work on as well! It's called Phantom Kiss! It's written in a joint account with Frith, and we take turns writing chapters! Check it out ! And review! ^_^ But don't forget! Important to remember Definitions of a Fox!!!! Till next time everyone! Ciao! 


	11. Shared in the Tree

**AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** Oh my God! Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated, but has my writing really changed so much?! My goodness! I read over the last chapter to refresh my memory, and when I was reading, I noticed that my writing was so hard to follow! I found mistakes…need of clarification! Oh, it's terrible! Oh well, that's just how it goes. smiles, calms down ok… I'll shut up now…and let you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own it…boo hoo.TT-TT

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_Chapter 11: Shared in the Tree_

"W-what?" Botan stuttered, "Your mother was **raped**?" Youko smirked at her; his eyes were cool and sly.

"Yes." He answered. The fox demon continued to smile at her. The air in the den started to grow cold, and a chill started fill their surroundings.

"Oh…" she said in response, looking away to the dirt floor. The moon's rays now shone brightly in contrast to the black outside…the grotto, was getting dark, with the upcoming shower of tears. "Then what happened?" Botan carried on.

"And then, came that faithful day …" Youko paused…no, wait, **more** than paused. The fox demon's ears pricked up, and they moved a bit. His face was emotionless, and his body seemed to be on full alert. He stood up quickly and walked toward the outside source of the sliver rays, his handsome face paled in the layer of moonlight. Botan was puzzled. She cocked her head at him as he walked off out of the cavern.

"Wait…where are you going?" she yelled to him. He looked over his shoulder at her. His golden eyes shone in the half-light with amusement. He smiled. His tail swished happily as he held something up to the night's silver natural torchlights. The object glistened. The darkness within the cave made the fox seem almost like a grey silhouette against the moonlit grounds outside. Botan squinted a little through the darkness. In Youko's hand hung a silver bracelet…**her** bracelet. Botan gasped, she recognized the twisted silver loop, and the three small black pearls that hung unevenly distributed at the sides. She looked at her wrist. Her bracelet, it was hers, and it **wasn't** there.

"Thanks for the bracelet." He said smoothly.

"Youko! No, give it back to me!" The urgent girl pleaded. She held out her hand to him for thief to place the coveted jewelry back into her grasp. But how does that make sense? Holding your hand out to a thief for something valuable? Youko smiled, and throwing the bracelet a little ways in the air, he caught it and gripped it tightly as it descended from gravity.

"No." He said, "Why should I give up such a prize…something that was so easily obtained as well?" The fox raised a graceful eyebrow at her.

"But…how? When did you take it?" She asked. She had gotten up and was now moving cautiously over to the killer, hand outreached for him to place the trinket back into her possession. Youko though...just gave it squeeze… clasping it ever tighter.

"I seem to remember when a certain little girl disturbed my slumber and then demanded me to let go of her wrist when I grabbed it from behind." Youko smirked. "Now…my time here must be taken shortly. I have business to attend to." Youko turned fully around and began to walk through the dusty grotto to its opening.

"That's **not fair**! Give it back to me!" Botan forgot the cautious stuff…she ran straight for the pervert at the fastest speed she could go, leaping to reach the bracelet and grasp it out of the palms of the seven-foot tall reynard. The fox thief was certainly amused. Botan placed one hand against Youko's chest and jumped again…and again...and again! But Youko however, was starting to loose interest in this diversion, and was not going to waste time playing such foolish little games. He held the bracelet higher and using one arm roughly pushed her away. Botan hit the floor with a _'thud'_ and stared up at the youkai. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she even had much time to say anything about the bracelet, he was gone. His silver hair flowed behind him as he sprinted through the forest.

"Stay in the cave!" he demanded over his shoulder.

"Wait!" she hollered back at him, "Come back! I want that bracelet!" But the demon was already gone, and was presently weaving through the trees at an incredible speed. _'Damn.' _She thought. Botan let out a long sigh. _'And now I'm here alone.'_ She said within her mind, _'now what am I suppose to do? Do I want to run away?' _Botan sat cross-legged in thought. _'Now what?'_Clouds had already began manipulating the sky above, its dark clouds turning the sky dull grey. An agonizing scream from the woods…. Grey…the prefect color to match with churning fresh spilled blood…Youko must be out for a hunt tonight. For food or fortune…it didn't matter…there was always blood involved. _'Should I just run away?' _ Botan thought. She looked out into the forest. '_He must be at least thirty feet from here by now…. Won't I have more of a chance of survival once I run away? What if he finds my scent in the woods? It's raining and he'll loose it…. He can't follow me. Yeah….'_

Botan got up and walked over to the mouth of the cavern. She stretched out her right hand into the drizzle, while she leaned with the other against the cave wall. Cool raindrops splashed in her hand and slid to collect into one small pool in the middle of her palm. She smiled. The moist air outside proved to be a valuable asset. With all this humidity in the air tonight, and the cloak of the set sun…she could have an advantage to get away yet! _'I'm sure if I can just find people, they could help me. They would help me escape…and perhaps kill him.' _ Botan's eyes and face were hard with concentration. She walked swiftly over to the bed of hay she had occupied earlier. Grabbing her kimono and shoes quickly, she marched over to the cave entrance. _'No one's around.' _She thought as she peered at the forest outside. And with that, she cautiously walked out into the clearing around the grotto's mouth.

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The rain went _'pit' 'pat'_ in the night as Youko stalked the ningen in a race.

"AHH…the thief! Run faster!" An alarmed man in farmer's clothing shouted.

"Shut up you idiot and save your breath for running!" A young lady screeched at him as they ran side by side at the quickest pace of their lives. Their eyes and ear did not fool them. They had seen, and could see clearly the golden eyes that peered at them through the thicket. And that was no false scream they heard as they saw their twenty-one year old neighbor get slaughtered. The eyes…golden…were growing closer and more and more full of bloodlust…. **Gold.** Gold was never a thing many people ran from. How ironic was it that this thief's eyes were the color of one of the most precious things in the world…while they were the omen of death and pain at the same time.

The couple ran on, their bodies slowed the slightest by the thick brush and plant life; and for one, age affected him as well. They huffed and puffed…and ran on. The eyes…were increasing. They could swear they heard his ragged yet tireless breath from behind them as their hearts jumped to their throats. But Youko couldn't say this was wrong could he? Wasn't it the law of nature that the weak die while the strong only get stronger? If he caught up to them, wouldn't it be like a fox and a family of rabbits? The mother and father rabbits hide their most precious things, their babies, and both try to lead the fox away. But the fox catches up, and in one foul swoop, one of the new parents are dead. It's because the fox lead them to a dead end, and they ran right into a mess…a bunch of thorns. The poor dear died at the hands of the fox…it was because of** him**. The fox looked up to the white moon, and then down to the scrunched up body before him, his eyes glowed aurum brilliance in the rainy night.

"I-it's in the pool…the spring! It's in the spring!" A male voice stumbled out, "Please, don't kill me…"A voice's last words, before the eyes of the body close…. The fox killed another rabbit.

"That's what I'm looking for." Youko said with the slightest smile. Blood spilled out of the farmer and his wife on the ground behind him as Youko walked off into the thicket once more, retracting his bloody rose whip in hand.

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Botan pushed aside the wet, green lush leaves of an overgrown bush nearby, (but she was happy at least that the tall trees gave some cover from the rain). "Why does there have to be no easy way out in this direction?" she whispered to herself as raindrops continued to shower. _'No wonder Youko didn't travel this way, I should have followed the way he went. At least that could lead to a village faster.' _She sighed. "Oh well…" She carefully and quietly lifted and pushed with a leg against a log to boost herself over a dead moss-ridden tree that had collapsed what seems like weeks ago. Careful not to slip on the infesting green that covered a portion of the log, she successfully climbed over the tree and let herself slip from the rain down to the trail below.

_'Finally…the road' _She thought to herself as she walked to the dry shelter of a nearby tree. Botan took a deep breath, and placing her damp bundle of old clothes in between her legs, she brought her hands up to her hair. Untying it, she let her hair drop down. She sighed again. Running a hand through her hair…she was reminded of that day before the wedding. _'Oh Taisho…' _She said in her mind, _'I miss you.' _Another sigh. Gathering all her hair back into her hands, she tied the hair band that was there a moment ago around the mass of silky blue. And taking the wet, dirty clothes from her legs, Botan set out again. She stayed in the cover of the giant tree leaves and branches for refuge. She quickened her pace, and started to use this the time she had to her advantage. Large rays of moonlight seemed to be patched here and there, those that had trickled through the filter of clouds, wafted **along **with the rain.

"How strange…" she murmured to himself as she lifted her face to the sky, eyes squinted a little, "How strange…" Oh how Botan wanted to stop at that moment and inhale a deep breath and relax…. But she couldn't. She sighed again instead, and tracing her eyes back to the road, she took in her surroundings. The green shrubbery was everywhere. Everywhere there were browns and shades of emerald and jade. But though as lovely the atmosphere was…Botan knew she had to hurry. She started to run…. Her wet shoes from the days before were uncomfortable as she placed foot after foot and jumped over puddles in the middle of the road. Sounds filled her ears: the _'drip drip' _of droplets_, _the _'shaa' _of the light sheet of rain, the _'Hoos'_of birds of the night, and the _ 'lap__ lap'_ of water close by. Water…a river?! _'A river…Youko and I dropped into a river! I must be somewhere near a river!' _

Botan's heartbeat quickened as she ran faster. _'The water sound…of the river... if I follow it, I can get back home! My town is near a river!' _There came a turn in the road; at the left hand side was a narrow, brush-overrun path that lead to a damper looking part of the woods. Taking a look to the right, Botan's ears perked up to listen for the river. Walking to each trail, they took their turns, and in the end Botan raced down to the left. She ducked under wet leaves and twinning branches, and at long last saw the water, a small bank lining either side, trees parallel to the banks. A smile crept onto her face, as she bounded toward the water's edge. She started to giggle a bit as she glared down the waterway…but…no…. Horror struck her face as she realized what she stared at. This was no stream…this was a…

"This is a spring!" She crumpled to her feet, "Oh and I thought I was almost there." She let out a puff of breath, and inhaled. _'Oh well, as long as I'm not c-'_ A white figure leapt out of the surrounding brush, and splashed into the water. Its sliver hair sparkled in the moonlight while the body walked down stream to the left, where the liquid from the spring formed a small pool. Botan watched closely and quietly. Several strands of hair were semi-plastered to the frame's face while the rest hung loosely on his back. Youko's hands seemed to dive urgently into the water and were fumbling around for something. Something glistened in the moonlight and light rain, but Botan couldn't see it. But Youko's keen eyes locked onto its shine immediately. And stalking over to it, his hungry-for–money hands dove into the clear water and grasped the shining object. The demon held it up…a large chunk of…**peridot**.

"I've found it…finally." The kitsune demon said to himself in an emotionless tone. Or at least…it was supposed to be to himself. Youko's ears suddenly stood erect, and swiveled to the opposite bank from Botan. If Botan could have seen them, she would have seen surprise flash in Youko's eyes for the briefest moment. He glanced to the direction he heard the sound come from.

"Hunters." He murmured to himself. He took a glance around, scanning the trees for any life before taking his leave. Botan scurried as quietly as she could into the shadows of the trees, hoping that rain would shield her smell. Youko's eyes paused when his eyes went to her spot. He squinted and walked closer, only causing Botan to hold her breath. She heard an inhale of air.

"You! You're here!" He said in a hushed yet angry way. Botan still couldn't see him, but by the way that he fiercely grabbed her wrist with incredible accuracy, she was sure **he** saw **her**. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay in the cave." Youko squeezed her wrist, starting to dig his claws in. Botan's eyes widened. She could hear them:

"I think there is someone over here." A voice came from the rustle of the bushes behind them. If Youko was too caught up in asking her questions or if he heard, she didn't know…he didn't reacted…he only barred his fangs at her. But she knew she had two options: Scream and have the hunters come save her…**if** they were human…she would have a better chance of surviving (or she would die by the time the yelp came out of her throat), or, if she didn't scream, she could wait till the killers came and killed Youko, hoping he didn't kill her first and hoping that he didn't hear them and killed her swiftly and flee. She knew what was important now, her survival, not her revenge. Having her scream would at least ensure a quick death for herself and a death for Youko…hopefully. And waiting was surer death for one (plus, how about if the hunters missed and hit Botan instead?) so…

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**Youko looked at her in amazement, and then…he heard the voices, and terror struck his eyes.

"You wench!" And then something unexpected happened, Youko laced an arm around her waist, (Botan's bracelet visible around four of his fingers), and clutching the gem in tight grasp in the other hand, he leapt into the forest. Botan, couldn't believe it, but she knew that she would have to keep screaming. She let out another wail.

"You idiotic bitch. You're trying to kill me? Well I'll have you know…you'll die much sooner than I will. I'll kill you personally!" He growled harshly at her.

"No, I won't!" She screamed back as loud as she could. She struggled in his grasp. "Let me go!"

"You…" he grumbled. He jumped up to a nearby tree, and stood in its branches, his ears rotating toward the rustle of the bushes not too far below; the hunters were about ten feet from where they stood. Botan let out another scream. He bared his fangs at her. He jumped to the next tree, and the next, and at every time a scream was done, another followed. He growled. He stopped six trees from the first the tree, and he was currently North West of the first tree. The men, though they seemed a little confused, still lagged on the ground seventeen feet away. Botan's breathing was ragged from the shouts of panic and distress. Youko remained in that tree now **fifteen** feet away from the hunters…they had advanced, slowed in confusion, but still…. His strong grip was still around Botan's waist.

"Now they'll catch you!" she said triumphantly. She inhaled a deep breath in the damp air, and prepared to scream but…nothing was heard. Youko was…

_Lips…_

Botan's eyes grew wide as Youko's free hand that didn't hold her to him was firmly holding onto her chin with soft wet, yet strong fingers. Their lips were met…. And though Botan couldn't scream, a scream ignited in her head. A pit seemed to grow in her stomach, as she stood and blinked in bewilderment. _'What…?' _A flush spread across her face. But before long (what seemed like an eternity to Botan), she started to flutter her eyes…and her hands shyly in response seemed to creep toward the thief's face. Her eyes fluttered closed and the water that was there hung off her eyelashes. But…it was too late. It was for a brief second, but much longer in Botan's head. Her hand never even reached his face…but it was over.

Youko looked down at her plainly…as if…thinking, and trying to taste her flavor from underneath the salty rain zest that iced her lips. Botan didn't notice until now how close she was to him, or how his wet body was getting her wetter; she even had to stand on tippy-toes to reach his face. She looked away from him, and into the green below. And she let out a cough while still blushing. She side glanced, and saw the minutest, yet evident smile creep onto his face, only to disappear and return to the thief's normal emotionless expression. She looked back to the forest to conceal her red cheeks and to think to herself. Youko looked to the same direction she did. Yet unbeknownst to Botan, there was a battle raging inside him, he was trying to control his _longing_. He licked his lips and his eyes flared with a secret fire for milliseconds to milliseconds. He had to control it…control the **lust**. Botan continued to stare into the green, and it wasn't until then that she noticed the rustle and disturbance of the hunters in the underbrush had gone already seven feet from them.

"Where'd they go? Where'd the voice go, I swore it was here." One voice said. They crept on into the night. Smiling for a moment, she realized something. Botan gasped a little and looked back at Youko, (and at the moment she couldn't help but blush a little more). He smiled again, a soulless hungry smile that he tried to keep under control. He regained his composure. Botan, was going really **really** red. _' But__…' _she thought to herself, but almost as if intentional for him to hear and answer somehow, _'How about the screams? How about my rescue?' _Though a part of her mind told her she was in heaven. She shook her head in embarrassment. Youko attempted to stare blankly at her, which in the end subdued some lust, and plastered his normal face back on. And that was enough of an unpurposeful given answer for Botan. Just that one look at him. There wasn't going to be anymore screaming for tonight, no rescue…tonight.

Youko watched as the rustle of wet leaves from the hunters left out of plain human sight, and snaking an arm around Botan again, and one underneath her legs this time, he carried her bride style. He jumped from the tree and into the green shrubs, the contact from his descending arms sending the water on their leaves bouncing up and flying into the air and they passed by. Botan couldn't help but gasp and hold her hands out to try and catch a drop. Only light rain splattered their foreheads now, and the endless moon rays seemed to exhilarate the air and atmosphere.

She looked back at Youko with a blush. He was looking straight ahead, his accurate movements preventing any mistakes in the jumps across tree trunks and brush. They had crossed onto another path…there went the tree trunk Botan had to clamber over. But she didn't care, she didn't know where she was going, and it didn't seem to matter much at the moment. She had other things on her mind, thoughts about this long night. She narrowed her eyes at her carrier in puzzlement. _'Am I…' _she began, _'supposed to be falling in love with you?'_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There's a wrap! Awww…wasn't that chapter sweet? heehee If you guys wantta know, a peridot is a clear green gem. K, Reviewer time!:

**JDFielding**-Thank you! Very much! Hope this wasn't too long of a wait…ok…maybe it was really long but hey…something great happened!!!! Yay! And aren't you the analyzer! That's all good though…good skill to have! God…I still need to read your fic…oh dear…so many things to read and do! So little time! Argh! I'm supposed to run for cross country summer practice too. Who does that!?

**Frith**: Heehee…you make me laugh. NOT in a bad way. You make me happy, so I laugh! You are such a sweetheart! You read my other fic! Thank you! - I could cry from the love from other people, you and other people who review me make me happy. tear I'm all good. Yay. Oh and yes, I wish I could sing, I wanna be the one they say 'oh she has such a good voice'…but no…too bad. Oh well, we can be untalented in that area together right?-

**Liz Inc**: Favorite author, wow! I'm honored! And I love little unexpected thing like that, like that whole Youko mom thing. They're fun. Heehee. I'm so happy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Botan and Kurama lover**: Yeah, I'm happy I support KB too…. heehee, And thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chap!

**Xen003:** Thank you! One of the best! Wow…but you do great work too! I can't wait to read entangled…but I hope I have time…so many things to do. Oh well, I'll make time!

**Volpone****: **Thanks! And you read Phantom Kiss? Yay! The second chap is up, did ya read it yet? When you have time go ahead. I hope this chap satisfied your craving for more to read.

**Kuramas**** kitsune:** Thank you! Hey do you watch/read IY? I do! It's great isn't it? The English anime has some weird lines though, they're funny.

**Lady Nightshade**: Heehee, thank you. Yes, very interesting, but then again I am an strange person…: I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**Galandria**** the Vampire Queen**: Here's more! Here's more! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**miyako14**: I like your name, it's cute. Love it, yay! Thank you. I think I need to work on some stuff, but that's just me, the hard criticizer, you are your own toughest critic after all. But if I right enough to please everyone, then that's great! And how do I write so well? Oh dear…lotsa reading, lots…it's a good thing I run cross country, or I would probably type or read something like manga (ok, not that educational but…it teaches you sometimes) all day if I could! (That would be good for you, but I need my exercise my mom would yell at me!) heehee. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Fire Phoenix**: You like how Botan is portrayed!? Yay! I thought I wasn't getting her character right, but I'll trust you if you say it's amusing, that's great! And imaging godd, yay!(again) That is all thanks to my English teacher who was a poetry maniac, wow what school teaches you in a year…. Hope you enjoyed the chap!

**GoddessofKoorime**: Thanks! A lemon? Hmmm…I wasn't planning it, and I don't know if you I could write it! ßyes, total good girl. Maybe…I'll think about it. and you are the Goddess of Koorime? So you like Hiei, do you? Heehee, if you do I can see why, he can be cute…. Hahahaha! I hope you liked the chap!

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Takes a breath wow, that was a lot of reviewers, at least compared to my usual amount. Thanks everyone! And now it's the time you all review and tell me about the coughkisscough , or the chap in general. Push the blue-ish button! And check out my new fic! Based on "The Stedford Wives", it's a Cardcaptor Sakura fic! I updated really late and didn't really get many reviews…two of them…; so I'd appreciate it if you guy would at least go check it out. Till next time! Nijiko


	12. TradeOff of Lives

Hi everyone! Wow, yes, long time I haven't updated once again. School is evil, they just keep the homework coming and coming! Ah! Well anyways, here's the next installment. And one more thing, **I AM LOOKING FOR A BETA-READER. See the note about that at the end of the chapter, **but for now enjoy this update!

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Chapter 12: A Trade-Off of Lives

Botan sat curled into her stomach. Her fingers toyed with the hem of the purple sash that covered the too low V-neck of her black shirt. The fire within the cave crackled and snapped as it burned dully within the grotto. The early morning mist outside chilled the den, and all was silent.

Botan let out a yawn and blinked at the dance of the yellow and red and orange flames upon the dark tree boughs they were consuming. Youko sat on his bed to her right, seeming preoccupied in staring at the flames as well. Pink eyes glanced at him and found that without mental admiration of his looks, there was really nothing to do. The girl let out a sigh, and went back to observing the fire. Youko's ears swiveled to her direction, and heard this sigh. Turning his face to look her, he asked with a tint of annoyance: "What?"

Botan looked over at him.

"Nothing." She replied. Youko snorted, and looking away, decided to ignore her. The girl smiled at his reaction, and found the act quite cute. Her thoughts began to roam and her eyes looked up to the ceiling in a thoughtful manner. _'What am I suppose to do? Trapped in a cave, bored out of my **wits**, and yet at the same time facing death by the beautiful fox demon that sits across from me. The same fox demon that…' _Botan blushed. She shook her head as if to toss the thought to the side. _'How would that ever work? How can you start to fall in love with the guy you had hated for so long!' _Botan wrinkled her nose in confusion as she stretched her legs, and began to get up. As she started to walk to the corridor that led to the hot spring, she could see Youko's ears perk a bit and with a dull tone he turned to her and asked: "Where are you going?"

"To take a bath." She told him in an equally monotonous voice. "And don't think of barging in while I do so." She threw harshly over her shoulder. But she regretted the demand instantly.

"Why not?" He called back to her. She could almost even imagine the sly, playful little smile that covered his face. **Her** face grimaced in disgust.

"Don't be such a **pervert** all the time!" She shrieked. She could hear his laughing even as she proceeded down the hall…and it annoyed her. How she wished she could go back and punch him lightly in a joking manner, but that was impossible. She would never know him that well to do so, and if she did get to know him, and did deliver this punch, his reaction would probably be much more deadly than a mere laugh. She sighed as she walked past the large-mouthed red plants that actually allowed her to pet them today, so unlike their usual hungry rather feisty moods. She petted one's mouth and another's, until she got to the last one, which snapped at her. Botan looked surprised, _'Ok, maybe they aren't **all** docile today.'_ Staying closer to the middle of the path to avoid the plants on either side, she made her way into the steam filled room. Slipping off her black sash, large shirt, and pants she began to undress. Having at last let her black bottoms slip off her skinny frame, she gingerly…tapped the water with one toe to test its temperature, finding it boiling compared to the cave's regular temperature. But nonetheless she slipped in quickly, feeling as if the hot water would cause her skin to peel right away when it underwent contact with it.

But after a moment's sudden temperature surge, she felt comfortable enough to move in the relaxing water's caress. She inhaled a deep breath, and then exhaled. This was _heaven_ compared to the late night rain of yesterday. Botan slumped against the spring's side, and closed her eyes. She felt like she could fall asleep at any moment (though she knew not to). And she couldn't really either, for every time she closed her eyes, her mind only seemed to hiss _'Youko…'_. And she couldn't bear to think of him right now. Thus Botan's eyes remained lazily open, in a calm, but not tired kind of way. _'Why does he always come to mind?' _She pondered. The question seemed to linger along with the white steam that choked the room, and then the answer seemed to hit her. The answer, like the humid tickling breath of one of the red flowers outside, hit her; and she gasped in surprise, disgust, and anger with her self. _'The warmth...of the breath, it feels like the warmth when I kissed…' _Her pupils dilated and she trembled, bringing a hand to cover her gasping mouth. _'I'm in love with him....' _Her mind seemed to hiss loudly, loudly as if a snake purred behind her and it's sickening message of realization seemed to rattle her very state of being and echo through the den. _' I am.' _She thought, she realized, she acknowledged, _'No!'. _The snake's hiss seemed to echo, and completely drain and darken her world.

The dawn outside was starting to pale to blue, and Youko smirked to himself for a job's well done. Leaping from burning house to burning house, he installed fear with his very presence among the ningens. A sliver ear abruptly pivoted to the direction of a screaming man demanding people to stay calm and hurry to safety as quickly as possible. Youko licked his lips and jumped down right in front of him. The man, clad in a samurai's armor, at the moment, was helping a woman who was sobbing out of control, tears running madly down her cheeks. In the mists of the chaotic scene of red, brown and black, Youko's white figure was easily recognized and stood out among the screaming humans. Appearing in back of the woman he was helping, the man looked up the towering seven–foot fox demon. A toothy smirk glinted on Youko's face, and he forcefully pushed the sobbing woman (who, turning around to look at what the samurai was looking at, let out a scream) aside to the ground, only for her to scamper quickly away to the underbrush for protection. The samurai took a step back, drawing an expensive looking sword, and, stuttering a bit, he demanded Youko to stay back.

The tall silver fox, narrowed his eyes playfully at the man, and cocking his head to the right, one side of his lips curled up into a smirk. The man shuddered, and positioned himself to fight. Youko licked his lips again, and as he picked several seeds fro his hair and threw them to grow in a circle around his prey and himself, he purred:

"I like your sword." The samurai started. The strangeness of the response sent a cold raking feeling clamoring up the man's spine, and put him at quite an uneasy state of mind. But, in an attempt to clear his mind he yelled out: "Now, you're going to die!" and launched himself at the fox. Youko arched a silver eyebrow. Dodging his attack, he formed his rose whip as he moved to the side. The samurai made a horrible mistake: he turned his back on an enemy (and worse, being it's **Youko**). His back was fully clear for attack. And with a quick lash with his rose whip, Youko created a gigantic rip in the man's flesh by plowing through his layers of armor, right to his pink skin.

A scream ignited from his lips. Landing gracefully as a cat, Youko's feet once again touched the ground. Something rolled out from the man's torn armor, a badge, a cold metallic object, with two straight lines inscribed on it, reading as a Chinese two. Youko picked it up and fingered it.

"So you're a second class ningen policeman assigned to the demon world…how pathetic." Youko coldly responded. He tossed the badge at the man, hitting him in close vicinity to his wound and causing the man to shudder and cry out in pain. Youko's face hosted a dark, devilish grin as the firelight played on his pale skin, casting shadows here and there; making him appear even more menacing. But the look disappeared for a second as the policeman, using his fine sword as something to hold him up, turned slowly to face Youko. Blood leaked from his mouth, but he managed to choke out words.

"You'll…never" he began with a cough of blood, "will be able to defeat me…with just that one blow." Youko stood, shocked, and wide eyed. The man lunged again, but this time, because of his wound, he was only able to aim for Youko's stomach at the best; Youko stepped aside. _'Why didn't I kill him!?' _His mind roared. Baring his teeth in anger and annoyance with himself and the man, Youko grasped the samurai's throat as he missed, and was about to plummet to the ground. By the neck, the kitsune youkai rose him up in the air.

"You…." He snarled, squeezing the man's throat. The man's eyes were shut in pain as oxygen was being denied to his blood, his mind crying out for air. Youko's eyes flashed a painful and agonizingly heated mad red, and at the last thread of patience, he punctured the samurai's throat with his clawed hand, and threw him aside against the circle of man-eating plants that had now grew healthy in a circle around them. The samurai screamed in agony. Youko snorted and bared his teeth in frustration, and turning to jump away, his foot landed on something hard. Looking down, gold orbs met a gleaming metal; it was the exquisite sword the man had owned. But instead of it sparking a thieving quality in the kitsune, it became a reminder of his weakness in not killing the man in one foul swoop. And with an angry grimace, Youko stomped his foot on it and crushed it into shards of mercury colored bits, before fleeing past his plants and into the dark forest. His eyes glinting a hot, burning, and glassy unnatural look, he raced through the cold wet leaves of the brush, and dashed back to his liar. Unbeknownst to him in his rage, a band of police officers were stalking his trail back to the den, burning the brush around them as they followed to create a barren path to his den for them to come back time and time again.

Botan waited in the middle of the den, a rag wrapped around her black attire and sash, waiting for Youko to arrive. _'Why am I so full of him now? I await his return like a puppy dog. What am I getting myself into? This is a dangerous thief with a history of womanizing, and I'm waiting on him! This could clearly lead to some…impure suggestions.'_ Botan wrinkled her cute little nose for the mere thought of such a thing, and as if on cue, Youko bounded out of the brush on the right side of the clearing. A smile jumped to Botan's face, and she regretted its appearance immediately. _'Stupid!'_ She told herself, _'Youko could have seen that!'_ A frown jumped to the place of the bubbly smile that was once there, and Botan, expecting **Youko** to react to this sudden facial change, was disappointed. Yet she was relived at the same time. If he had at all seen her smile, or not, it seemed that he didn't care. After he stumbled out into the clearing (which was already unnatural for him to do so), he turned to run toward the cave. His nose was wrinkled and his face had an annoyed appearance. Botan's face lit with surprise, _'Why does he look so flustered?'_ Upon seeing Botan three feet from him, he shouted a quick demand.

"Wench! You gasp a word or even a breath and I'll kill you in a second by breaking your body!" He hissed. Surprised, Botan inhaled sharply. Youko looked behind him. He could smell it, the stench of man, and the smoke of burning wood and leaves. Small demons were fleeing into the surrounding as they attempted to escape their habitat's burning. Youko quickly grabbed her wrist. The jerking motion of his hand accelerated her into a sudden speed increase, and as they fled, Botan could feel a slipping sensation; the rag that covered her, dropped off.

"Ah…" She gasped, as she tried to reach for it. But Youko was far stronger and jerked her along with him. She was forced to leave the rag there, and sadly, because of Youko's hurry, he never asked what she had gasped for; for that rag had her scent all over it. They started to run along the outside of the cave's left side, weaving between where the tree line started and were the rock face was. Botan had to run breathlessly to keep up with such a fast criminal dragging her along behind him. And then she heard it, she noticed the sounds of men coming from the direction of the lair, and the smell of burning wood as smoke clashed with the dull forever gray of the Makai day. She looked back, and Youko, sensing her notice, yanked her hand painfully to encourage her to hurry up. Wincing, she quickened her pace. She kept running, even when she heard a man shout "The thief's not in here! Search the surrounding area!"

'_But wait,'_ She thought to herself, _'I think I know that voice!' _But she dared not slow, for Youko still tugged her to follow quicker with a clawed hand around her wrist.

"Damn…" She heard him mutter to himself, turning a corner. They happened onto a mossy area near a spraying icy waterfall, which led into a small river that cut the waterfall's clearing into two. Youko ran toward the waterfall, the mist from its deep plunge from up above spraying them both, and washing their scent away. Without falling into the waterfall themselves, they got the closest possible without going into it, and in the stone wall next to the fall, there was a mossy overhang that hid a crevice in the stone. Youko pulled her inside. It was a cold and wet within the cave, but still slightly warmer than the Fahrenheit that lingered outside.

Botan's heart started to beat ferociously, and more rapidly, for now she was extremely close to the fox demon. The crevice could hardly fit Youko in it's short height, and he had to lean his body so that his feet touched the opposite wall his body leaned on; and all this to allow his seven-foot frame to fit inside. Botan, was stuck blocked from the entrance by his long legs, but she couldn't complain about her position in the grotto, she was able to stand fully erect in it, with even some ample head room. There was silence.

After a moment's quiet of huffing and puffing, panting from running, Botan swallowed some spit to keep her throat from its dry state, and managed to gather enough strength and courage to speak to the youkai (who hardly panted at all).

"Uhmm…Youko?" She squeaked. He turned his head toward her, making her realize again how close they were. A flush flew to her face, which she desperately willed to go away. She avoided eye contact and then continued: "I…I think I know the person we're running from." Youko provided no reaction, but a plain face. "I…" she continued, "want to go out and see if it's him." Youko barely shifted his features, but crumpled his nose a little.

"No." He stated plainly. Botan glared at him.

"No, I want to go!" She challenged.

"Wench, shut up." He demanded, "You are not allowed to shout or utter a word I said." Botan frowned deeply.

"No." She said.

"No?" Youko asked, arching an eyebrow. A smirk lit his face. He narrowed his eyes at her, his golden orbs tinted with a sly hidden fire that gleamed dangerously and expectantly at her. "What are you going to do?" Botan pouted at the question in thought. Suddenly, an idea hit her. Raising one of **her** legs gently off the ground, she lifted it over one of **his** legs, and started to do the same with her other leg and rest of her body. Youko frowned. Elevating the leg she had just stepped over, he brought it close enough to the juncture of her legs to make her feel uncomfortable in straddling it. Botan's light colored cheeks suddenly bloomed red, and she attempted to push his leg down to allow her to go fully past it.

"Youko!" She shrieked at him. He chuckled softly, before glaring at her from under his sheet of hair. Flustered and warm from the blushing and the run to the crevice, Botan was getting impatient. "Let me go!"

"Shut your mouth." Youko demanded of her. A sharp pain met Botan's left cheek as he slapped his palm over it. Tears instantly started to flood into her eyes, and were threatening to drip down her cheeks. Youko stared hardly at her. Botan couldn't believe it. She raised a hand to her red, now flaming cheek. Botan, inhaled a breath, trying to appear strong though her insides tore with pain and longed to cry all her troubles out as a relief of all she had been through; and she stared at Youko with strict determination in keeping a straight face.

"Do you know who's coming?" Youko asked after an awkward silence.

"…Yes." Botan stuttered out after a pause.

"You're with them, aren't you?" The kitsune asked the girl softly. She paused, and then nodded.

"And…" she blurted out after a second, "I'm going to get out of here and tell them to catch you!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. The tears that had threatened to fall almost choked her as she screamed. A tiny droplet of salt water fell out of each of her eyes.

Youko's amber orbs widened in revelation; and one of his silver ears suddenly began to swivel. He could hear them, they were coming. 'I heard something over here!' He heard one say. Botan saw his ears perked. She knew they were coming, and she prepared to scream for her life. Emotions flowed and tangled through her all at once, love, hate, determination, anger…. _'How could he?!'_ she thought in her mind, _'To think that I loved him! And here he is and he hit me! Who could love a person like that!?'_ Tears started to fall rapidly drop after drop now down her cheeks, and rubbing her eyes with one hand she shouted: "Hikaru! Help me, I'm in here by the waterfall, can you hear me!?" Botan let out a heart-wrenching sob. She needed someone to save her from this darkness.

And in the darkness of her mind, the snake hissed again: _'You love him…'_ She argued back: _'Not anymore, it was foolish puppy love, I just want to go home now!'_ Another sob. _'In the presence of light, there can be no darkness, Hikaru is full of goodness, he can be my light! Hikaru! Help!' _

"I heard a voice too!" a male voice said outside, "Where's it coming from, it's so faint, I can't find anything with all the noise of the waterfall!"

"Search around the waterfall!" A heroic voice ordered.

"Yes, Master Hikaru!" A rush of male voices echoed.

Youko's breath quickened in the minutest way in the slightest fear they'd find him. And what made his situation worse was that he had a restless female with him to give them hints. Botan's loud sobs shook her whole body, and she trembles against the leg he had in between her legs. His acute hearing picked up her calming breath, as it breathed heavily to calm herself. Carefully, he rose up a hand to touch her face…. Botan smacked it away, and screamed loudly. Youko stared at her in awe. He tried again to touch her face, only to have it pushed roughly away by her wet hands again.

"Don't…touch me!" She screamed. A stab of rejection pierced the fox's heart and created a frustration he had never felt before. _'No one rejects me!' _he roared in his head. But the voices were getting closer again…he couldn't let his anger with her affect his attempt to calm her. Botan's sobs began to calm down, and Youko tried one more time to quiet her. But this time….

Botan tried to calm down. She took in ragged breaths. This was another chance to escape, and with all her wailing entwined with her screams, she couldn't annunciate. She inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly, only to find herself cold and shivering, wet from tears outside, and her throat dry from screams inside. Her head was bent down away from the piercing golden eyes of the thief, but she could still feel their sharp gaze upon her. She felt his warm hand touch her cheek. She pushed it away and let out a hinting scream. She was not going to fall under his charming spells again. She was not going to be hurt again…. He tried again, and she did the same.

"Don't…touch me!" She had screamed. She felt him wince almost, as if he felt pain by her rejection of his touch. _'He's **not** putting me underneath his spell again!'_

But….

Botan felt herself being drawn toward him. His arms snaked their way around her, and his warm body seemed to have the ability to melt into her own…as if joining them as one. But Botan wouldn't let it; her shaking frame trembled and made a distinct separation between them. She tried to push away from him, but he held her tight, and rested his cheek on her head. Tears still continued to drip down in small stream on her cheeks, but they had slowed now as she felt and concentrated on his heartbeat. Its calm _'thump'_ sound contrasted deeply with hers, which went much faster. Her cheeks flushed and her pulse rose as she realized their closeness. The youkai's leg that her legs were straddling was lower, but was pushed farther up toward her hips. The demon's back was arched over, making her back go into the start of a small back bend. Botan squeezed her eyes tight and ferociously tried to push from him. But it seemed he was content with where she was; a small smile could be seen if one looked hard enough. Botan's heart raced on, refusing to slow to match his.

'_Ba-bump Ba-bump Ba-bump'_ Her's went without pause.

'_Thump…Thump'_ Went the demon's in a calm matter. _'How can he be calm?'_ She thought, '_I can hear the people coming closer too.'_ She frowned, _'If he's not nervous, I'll make him nervous!'_ And with that thought in mind, she let out a piercing scream. Youko grimaced, and he leaned his head back to get his ears as far as he could from her close voice; but he refused to let go of her. Botan screamed again.

_'The people…' _Youko thought, _'They're coming closer!'_ Botan could feel his heartbeat quicken, and she smirked to herself in triumph. _'No.' _Youko demanded inwardly, _'She can't feel my fear.'_ Botan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as his pulse suddenly went back to a more calm state.

"I think I heard the scream come from the waterfall sir!" Yelled a male, estimated around three meters from their hiding. Botan's eyes lit up. She inhaled a breath, and prepared to scream. She faced the entrance to the crevice. Youko's heart quickened.

"Hikaru! I'm-" Botan felt a nudge on her cheek. In shock, she turned to face the thief, who was less than an inch from her face. There were no piercing gold to stare at her, but closed eyelids and graceful eyelashes. Her eyes widened and her heart seemed non-existent. She couldn't tell the difference in the pulses anymore. But she **could** feel the warmth of the fox's breath as he neared her. It tickled and caressed her cheek and made her eyes want to cry, and flutter close. She became deaf to the voices of scurrying, searching men outside. All she felt was the warm breath, and her own heart seemed to beat in her throat. She lowered her lashes to avoid looking at his face as he nudged her face again.

"Youko…" She breathed. He nuzzled her with his nose making her close one eyelid, as the other eye searched his face for an answer. _'Why?' _She thought. But she didn't complete the thought, as she nuzzled his face back. Slowly she closed her eyes as their lips slowly started to meet. They dovetailed and her world seemed to plunge into darkness again. _'But…'_ She thought, _'Why is darkness warm? Why…Youko…' _She could feel their hearts again; they began to have the same sound now.

_'Ba-bump Ba-bump Ba-bump'_ Her's went.

_'Thump … Thump…'_ His went

_'Ba-bump…Ba-bump'_

_'Thump…Thump…'_

_'Ba-bump…Thump'_

'_Thump…Thump…'_

_'Thump…Thump'_

_'Thump…Thump…'_

And then it seemed as if there was only one….

_'Where did mine go? Where did **my **sound go?'_ Botan wondered, she pondered, and then, as she noticed how they dovetailed …_ 'That's right.'_ She told herself, _'I felt as if my heart was being pushed into my throat, and into my mouth, out of my mouth…Youko…he stole my heart as well through this embrace. We now join as one, right?'_

Wrong.

Suddenly the world came spinning dizzily back, and Botan inhaled a deep breath. She felt as if she had collapsed and now awoke to a fantasy world that she had been dreaming till this point in time when she had been abruptly woken up. _'What is this?' _She asked herself as she inhaled that breath, she felt as if her heart had jumped back into her throat, and had she swallowed it. Botan looked in puzzlement at the youkai in front of her for an answer. But all she got was a plain look except for the little panting he was doing. All was quiet. And Botan expected an answer…but none came. Youko instead adverted his gaze by placing his hand to his forehead as if propping it up, and looking to the cave's inner wall. His other arm that was holding onto her, was loose on her waist.

Botan was completely flushed and the temperature of her body seemed to have skyrocketed, causing sweat to start to form under her clothes. Botan, deciding to distract herself, listened closely to the sounds outside. The men were still around.

"Sir, I don't hear the voice anymore. Maybe we were paranoid, thought we heard Youko Kurama's voice since we were chasing him. Maybe we just thought it was him, and instead it was a demon hawk's cry as it attempted to catch a lesser demon fleeing from the woods." Said a soldier's voice.

"Humph…. The way you talk, you sound as if you were covering up for the criminal, as if he was hiding around here and you knew it, but tried to conceal it. You're not hiding anything from me are you?" The heroic voice from earlier kidded.

"No sir!" Replied the other. The heroic voice laughed. Botan's eyes widened, she knew that voice! It was Hikaru's!

"I know you wouldn't do that Akio. I trust you." Was Hikaru's response.

Botan went into a panic; she turned her head back to face Youko's, which now stared at her, with a calm face. She had a fear-stricken look on her face, and she again turned back to face the voices through the curtain of thick moss at the entrance of the crevice. As she listened to her cousin continue to talk, she was filled with an uncertainty. She didn't know what to do! She looked back to Youko, who know had a pained expression and had turned his face to the side, as if to avoid seeing what her decision would be, by looking through her eyes. Botan felt a rejection stab her throat and it did not allow her to speak. A worried somber appearance now marked her pretty features, as she looked from the direction of the voices to Youko, and then back again. _'Do I want to leave?' _She asked herself, _'Do I…?' _It almost pained her to make a decision between two things she…loved…family…or…. She looked up with a pleading, almost apologizing look, which glazed her eyes, making them teary. Youko opened his eyes, and stared at her, and then, sighing (as if with almost a sense of annoyance), he tightened the arm he had around her waist, and leaned his forehead against her's. She blinked, and then opened her eyes, to wait if he would say anything…would say 'I love you.' But nothing came in response, and this made her tears flow slowly.

_'Do you love me?' _She asked mentally as if he could hear her. _'I want to know if you do. Was that a sigh of annoyance and impatience I heard just now? Are you annoyed I haven't chosen you over family? Why…? Do you love me!?'_ Her mind screamed. Youko's free hand caressed her cheek as he learned closer, and his hot breath washed over her cheek. He started to tease her again, testing her, she noted, with facial prods, and gentle jabs. _'He wants to see if I'll pick him, or not.'_ Youko started to nudge her again, and she felt him tighten his grip on her hip, and his other hand stroke her cheek. _'He's doing this...he's doing this…because…'_ Botan, nudged him back, and stretched her neck so that he could touch her neck with his lips. He started to tease again. She lowered her face toward his again, and started to caress his face with her own, but as she did this, she opened one eye. And gasped at what she saw. A frown marked his lips, as he gently nuzzled her back. His brows were furrowed. Botan felt as if her heart had stopped. Immediately she pulled away, making a shocked Youko open his eyes.

The voices were still outside, good. Botan moved away from Youko, un-straddling her legs, and stepping toward the moss. Youko's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" He asked, holding a hand out, as if to garb her and prevent her from escaping. Botan narrowed her eyes at him and thought _'You don't love me.'_ as if he could read her mind. Youko stared at her in confusion, as she backed toward the moss.

"Wait!" he hissed quietly, grabbing her arm. Botan looked at him with tear glazed, somber eyes.

"I'm doing this, to **not** get you hurt; to **not** get you caught." She replied.

"What?" He whispered; amazement struck his face.

"I don't want to kill you anymore," She answered with a sigh, "But I want to go home. Is it a fair trade, your life saved by my not telling you're here, for my life saved for you **not** killing me?" Youko couldn't answer; he was too confused and appalled at the same time. Slowly his hand slipped from her arm, and he let her go. But just about as Botan was turning to leave, he enveloped her in an embrace, and then released her. Botan smiled, knowing it was a way to say 'Thank you'. She nodded her head, and walked outside into the mist of the waterfall.

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Well, that's the latest installment guys! I believe my writing has once again changed. What did you guys think of the chap? Tell me in a review! I wanna know! The next update will probabely be in a day or two, like tomorrow or something, or the day after. Stay tuned!

**BETA-READER WANTED!!!!!!!:**

I am looking for a Beta reader, I just need someone who is willing to read my chapters as soon as possible and get them back to me as soon as possible for me to post, so I need someone who preferably constantly checks their email. And of course someone who can tell me "is this clear?", "how do you see this?", etc. Just easy fanfic-reader clarification questions. And I would prefer someone in at least sophomore or junior or up English level, but I won't be picky. **I'll take the first one who reviews and says they'll do it. If you do do it, I expect you to commit to it entirely! INCLUDE IN YOUR REVIEW YOU EMAIL SO I CAN EMAIL CHAPTERS TO YOU!** I look forward to working w/ you!! happy.

And lastly before putting up Reviewer notes, Who wants to play a game? Can anyone guess what **Hikaru **and** Botan** mean? Tell me in a review! (they're easy)!

**Reviwer Notes:**

**Frith: **It's ok for you to ramble, I do it all the time! And I like your long reviews, reviews are nice to read no matter how long they are! And it's always so wonderful to hear from friends! Including you! (p.s. guess what? I'm in a musical! Yay!)

**miyako14: **Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Licensed to Kill: **Oh, thank you! And I can start celebrating now for this chapter too!

**JDFielding: **Hee hee…thanks you! If **Youko's **heart will ever be stolen by the diety (who is actually human in the fic), we shall see, but obviously, you can see that Youko almost stole hers. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Volpone:** Volpone, it's been so long since I've talked with you! I've been off for so long, I really must go read more of your great writing! Hee hee. I hope you liked this chap!

**Lady Nightshade: **You have a feeling that things are going to get interesting? Has it gotten interesting? It's so nice to hear from you after ever chapter! hands you a cookie You make me happy!

**Chichiro Ketsueki** Of course it's not over yet! If I ended it here, I would have gone crazy! No! This is just the beginning. And never thought of Youko and Botan as a couple? I hope you think of them as a good one now!

**Fire Phoenix:** Thank you so much! My descriptions are good? Thank you, though I don't believe I had many descriptions in this chap, I hope you liked/ enjoyed it nonetheless. And yes, I still need to make Youko love her, but that will come in time, be patient!

**psychogirly:** Thank you!

**Silver Kitsune Phoenix: **Great? Thank you so much!

**-Remember!** Read and review! Nijiko 


	13. The Engaged and Prisoner

Hi everybody! I didn't die and I know it's been a long time. But enjoy the chap!

* * *

_Chapter 13: The Engaged and the Prisoner_

The burning brush turned the sky black, and the air became heavy with smoke. After Botan walked out of the crevice, she imagined seeing her older cousin's troops, and her cousin himself, all beaming with surprise and amazement; happiness setting in after the shock of seeing her after she had been gone for what seemed like an extremely long few days. She smiled as she bounded out. But that lovely smile… was wasted on nothing.

No one was there; all was silent except for the screeches and calls of demons leaving their burning forest habitats (and the lapping sounds of the stream that ran through the deserted clearing). Botan looked around, but saw no clear route where they might have exited the dense forest. This part of the soldier's chase had been left unburned for they had not seen Youko Kurama go through it. They did not want to set fire to more trees than necessary. Botan, not remembering how far they had run from the den, did not know how to get back there, or where exactly her home was in relation to this place. She could wander for days…. Blue hair bouncing, she dropped her head and sighed. Studying the surrounding area once more, and finding no trails of where the men could have went, she retreated back to the hanging veil of moss.

"Youko? Youko…." She squeaked into the green hanging sheet, "Youko, no one's around, could you perhaps lead me **back** to my village?"

Botan didn't really know if this was an appropriate favor to ask of the kidnapper who had just let her go, but she asked nonetheless. It was obviously better than wandering through a forest of demons for gray days and dark secretive nights. After a brief moment, Youko appeared from his hiding place. Tall ears swiveling and golden eyes looking around, he surveyed the area. Finding it clear, he looked down at the girl.

"I'll take you two miles from your town and tell you the way, that's all." He responded rather harshly.

Botan smiled up at him. Leading the way, he lead her toward the river that cut the clearing unevenly, putting them on the smaller side. The fox demon approached the waterfall, and the human girl followed. Youko misted himself with the spray of the plunging water to cover his smell, (and Botan too, was put into the haze of flying water, for she followed him and was at one point in contact with him and his scent). His silver mane moving fluidly as he shook himself dry, he started walking down along the riverbank. Placing foot after foot, they set off through the clearing, approaching the end of its opposite the crevice. Walking at a moderate pace, they strolled separately, Botan behind Youko, and neither complained. Silence claimed their throats, and neither spoke, or even thought of speaking to the other. The mist of the waterfall chilled the air, and shook a rattle down Botan's spine. She shivered as the coldness of the moist air leaked through her thin layer of black clothes, and seeped into her skin. Her whole body shivered on contact. Youko's senses pricked up, and he turned to look at her from the corner of his golden eye. Botan let out a loud sneeze, and he blinked in indifference, and turned around again. They continued.

The river lapped at the shore to their left, and provided an awkward background to their silence; to Botan's cold, numb ears, it seemed almost tranquil and peaceful in the quiet solitude. But as they approached the middle of the clearing…a rustle ignited an action for Youko's ears to stand alert. He spun around and glared into the bushes on the opposite bank. The leaves of several dark green bushes shook with a frantic, violent rattle. Botan glanced at the shaking shrubs in wonder and…fear.

'_Could it be Hikaru? And…his troops? Or is it…a demon?' _Her cotton candy eyes both shook in fear and glinted in excitement. Youko frowned and, reaching into his hair, plucked out a seed. He swung his hand down, and it quickly grew and lashed out violently as its thorny, long frame grew and fully formed. He lashed with a calm might, and sent his whip thrashing into the brush on the opposite bank. A _'yip'_ was heard as the whip came out the shrubbery, and stuck on its large thorns…was a demon dog. It yipped and squirmed to free its bloody body from the grasp of the poisonous thorn that had punctured it. Youko let the whip fall to the ground to watch the helpless dog squirm. The red pupils of the canine were flashing dangerously in an attempt to scare off its attacker, and its fangs were bared as it howled in pain and distress. The fox youkai frowned and snorted in disgust.

"Filth." Botan heard him mutter. "A demon who bends to a human's punishing hand should die a horrible death."

He looped a length of the whip the dog was still stuck on around its neck, gently tugging it tight. The dog let out a whimper, and writhed relentlessly against the thorny rope's grip. Botan gasped at the cruelty against the helpless creature. A frown began to mark her pink lips, and her brows knitted together. How she wanted to reach her hand out to grasp Youko's, to **pull** the whip from his hand and toss it into the river, with enough time to bound across the stream to untangle the struggling dog. Botan's knuckle turned white to pink and back again, as she clenched and unclenched her hands. Biting her lip, she inhaled before she stepped in front of a smirking Youko; his face contorted into a pleasure-filled grin to see the pain he caused before him. But all this left his face as he saw the blue-haired girl step in front of him and raise her arms to the side, as if to obscure his view of the dog youkai.

And that was exactly what she wanted to do.

"I **won't **let you just randomly kill that dog like that!" She announced, a frown marking her face and announcing her determination. Youko stared blankly at her. Suddenly an angry scream stretched out from the forest behind Botan; causing both the kitsune and the girl to swirl around and look at the source of the voice.

"Botan!" the voice yelled. Across from the bank rapidly spun a silver disk towards her, and Botan recognized the weapon in an instant. She ducked as Youko jumped to dodge the attack. The silver circular blade went swirling like a boomerang back to its source. The source…knelt by the fallen, moaning demon dog.

"H-Hikaru!" Botan cried in joy. Quickly she ran toward the river, and jumping over its threshold to the opposite bank, she ran toward her cousin. Hikaru smiled in return and, holding on to his weapon with one hand, he opened his other arm to her in an invitation for embracement. Botan laughed in joy, and tears were shed by amethyst eyes with happiness as she ran toward to her cousin's open arm to hug him. But as she was about to jump into the safety of her kin's grasp, a green lithe object wrapped around her waist, wrists, and ankles, and yanked with such a force that the air was squeezed from her lungs. Choking, she was lifted up, and suspended above the ground. Her cousin's mouth dropped open, and his handsome face was wide with alarm.

"Botan!" he screamed as she was drawn back toward the opposite bank. Botan let out a scream from her exhausted throat, (which had been screaming a lot in the last few days, contrary to her usually quiet self). As she crossed the river, she gulped, and looked back to the owner of the green, lively vines. She fought furiously against the vines' grip, and struggled to break free as she neared the person she most wanted to get away from. Passing over the river, she was lifted above the thief, her back facing the ground, and slowly, panic started to instill in her as the vines slowly loosened their snake-like grasp. She struggled to get to an upright position, but was unable to as the vines fell limp and loose, and gravity dropped her down. A shriek fled her throat as she expected to hit the ground hard. But instead, she fell into strong arms, and looked up to see a frowning face, though not directed toward her. Youko's face darkened, and his hold on her constricted to allow her no movement. She pushed against his chest with her arms, but the only result she got was a frown from the kitsune above. She heard a horde move into the clearing on the other side, and turning her head, saw her cousin stand up, and bare his human teeth as menacingly as he could at Youko. This did not impress youkai in the slightest.

"Hold your fire men!" Hikaru shouted to his officers who were preparing to shoot at the fox demon. "My cousin, and your **commander's** **_daughter_**, rests in that thief's arms! **Hold your fire!**" At this, Youko's ears perked, and he looked down at the girl in his arms, grinning maliciously and peering down at her with glinting golden eyes. Botan shuddered, and he turned his evil smirk toward the troops.

"You!" Hikaru shouted toward the fox, "Release my cousin at once! And then step **away** from her!" Youko cocked his head at them.

"She doesn't want to go, do you, Botan?" Youko replied. Botan glanced up at him, her mauve eyes wide in shock. Gold orbs narrowed at her and, gracefully, the youkai bent his head down toward hers. Looking up stealthily to glance with triumph at the troops, he licked Botan's check with his moist tongue. Botan blanched. The troops on the opposite side of the river gasped and Youko smirked as he stole a quick glance at the opposite bank, where Hikaru blanched as pale as his cousin. Lifting his head away from Botan's, he stared proudly down at her, licking his lips; Botan shook lightly in his arms. Bending down again, he whispered, "You don't want to leave, do you?" Botan blinked. Realization had started to grasp her again, and it caused her to start to struggle violently against him.

"Let me go…!" she pleaded, "Let go of me!" Youko laughed. The melodic voice of the youkai shook her body and shivered her to the bone. Her mind hissed _'Give in to him…'._

'_No!'_ Botan argued back,_ 'I won't! I don't…'_

'_You do,' _Hissed her mind, _'You do, you do love him.'_

'_NO!'_ She argued again, _'I don't!'_ Botan continued to kick her legs to free herself of him; a grimace started to spread across the pale face of the fox as he attempted to keep her in hand.

"Let me go!" Botan repeated. She flailed wildly as the words fled from her vocal cords and sharply into the air about her.

"**Youko!**" Came a shout from across the river. Botan froze when she heard her cousin's voice. Hikaru stood, right at the edge of the river, his arms outstretched. "Please," He began, "**Please**…let her go, and in exchange we'll give you whatever you want." Botan heard Youko release a puff of air; there was almost a coherent sense of satisfaction in it.

"That's what I've been waiting for…" Botan heard him whisper under his breath. Releasing her out of her former position, but still keeping a strong arm around her waist (that pressed her to him), he looked up to address the young commander. "How much…" he began, "Do you think she's worth?" Youko called to Hikaru. The commander started, and with an uncomfortable look on his face, he replied: "As much as you want." Youko grinned in pleasure.

"I want it now," He replied, "I want all of your **county's** money in my hands now." Hikaru paled.

"Sir…" spoke up an old-aged soldier, "Are you really willing to give up that much for your fair cousin? There surely must be another way." The commander looked over at his cousin across the stream. Youko licked his lips, as his mind conjured a thought that he believed would come to his advantage. Bending down, the kitsune prodded his face against Botan's. Botan flushed red, and Hikaru began to shake with anger. Hikaru bared his teeth at him, and then turning to the old soldier who had formally addressed him, he did the same; his blond hair shook as his body trembled in anger.

"I am willing to risk everything for her!" He snapped back to the soldier. Youko raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Well, well," Youko announced loudly, "Does our little commander have some **feelings** toward his cousin?" A smirk lit the thief's face. Botan's face turned from bright pink to white. Looking over to the blonde commander before her, she glared with an inquisitive and shocked look. Her mauve eyes locked with the commander's red one's for a moment. Her cousin stuttered, breaking the eye contact. Then clearing his throat, he began: "Your father agreed to our marriage two months after Taisho's death, don't you remember?" Botan blinked, and thought back to those months after her brother's death. And surely…she remembered.

But…she never really thought of the betrothal to the Ningens' Army's best commander seriously. She believed that one day she would find the one she wanted to marry, and her father would allow her to marry whomever as long as **she** was happy. This betrothal had been crammed into the back of her mind as unimportant, and unreal, but now she saw it as clear as day, and very real indeed.

Youko smiled. This was something exportable….

"If you want to get your wife back, you'll have to have to money now." Youko sneered. Unbeknownst to him, Botan shuddered inwardly. _'Wife?' _She thought, _'But…how about…'_ She looked up at the silver frame towering above her. On the other bank, Hikaru gritted his teeth, and frustrated, he shouted an order to his men.

"Men! Arm yourselves, and prepare to fight to the death! We **shall** get my cousin back! Charge!" Men raced across the bank and splashed into the river. "Let the dogs get to him first!" Hikaru continued. Demon dogs leapt across the river and bounded toward the thief. Among them, Botan noticed a mortal dog. _'**My **dog…' _She thought as she saw a brave little fluffy dog race toward her along with the black demons, _'My dog: Kiki!'_ Her eyes widened, '_I have to stop him! I have to…'_ She looked up at Youko.

'_You love him…'_ hissed her mind.

'_I…I…'_ her eyes darted uncertainly around at the charging swarm of dogs and man; then up at the kitsune demon above…that she….

'_I…'_ She squeezed her eyes shut. Releasing herself from Youko's suddenly loose grasp, she….

"Halt!" Hikaru shouted to his followers, dog and men turned toward him, "Botan, what are you doing?" He stared in confusion at the blue-haired girl. Her arms were outstretched, as if to guard Youko from the troops. Youko stared wide-eyed at her.

"Please…" She begged, "Don't kill him…!" The troops looked on in amazement, turning their eyes from their leader to the girl, to the fox, and back again.

"Botan! What has become of you?" Hikaru demanded, "Did he drug you? What are you thinking protecting this...this…monster?" The word 'monster' struck Botan's heart hard, and she flinched. "Botan, after all this you want me to let him go! After we discovered the infamous kitsune's lair, and found this?" Hikaru held up a rag. Botan blanched, and hoped that the demon behind her didn't know what it was. Daring a look back, she was suddenly grasped by her wrist and whirled around.

"You! You wench! **You** led them to us! Your scent!" Youko snarled at her. Botan flinched under the thief's glowing sparked gaze.

"I…" She stuttered out, as she saw the troops on the other side start, "I…I tried to grab it but you kept pulling me along." She diverted her gaze from his.

"Are you saying it's all** my** fault now!" He aimed at her. Tightening his grip on her wrist, he too caught sight of the troop's uneasiness with the scene before them. He loosened his hold on her, but his hand did not leave hers.

"Botan!" Came Hikaru's voice, "Are you saying you tried to help him escape us!" Botan spun to face her cousin at his implication.

"NO!" She shouted, "I didn't know it was you! I…" Yellow eyes shot to look at her. Botan swirled around to find Youko's eyes piercing at her. Her breath was caught in her throat as she met and maintained eye contact.

"Botan!" Hikaru's voice rang out again, "Please, come to me – to us – I do not think you are feeling quite well!" Her cousin's hands were still outreached for her to come into. A pleading glance marked his facial features.

"No…I'm feeling fine." She replied quietly, yet unsteadily to her cousin, "but…" She continued more calmly, looking up unsurely at the demon above, and then back to her kin, "If I come to you, will you promise not to kill him?" Her cousin stared at her oddly.

"Botan," he said gently, "Please rethink this. Think about what you are doing."

"I know what I'm doing!" She snapped back, "I want you to...to…" Botan stuttered as she searched the files of her mind for an answer, "I want you to imprison him instead."

Golden eyes flew wide with shock. All Youko could do was look at the girl in front of him in awe. Hikaru sighed, and rubbing his temples, he replied: "OK, Botan. Whatever you want." Botan let out a sigh of relief. "Though I cannot assure you that others with more power than I will not want to kill him." Botan smiled at her cousin, and unconsciously moved her wrist from Youko's clutch to thread her hand with his, and she gave his hand a squeeze, before letting go.

"Men!" continued Hikaru after the last comment, "bound the youkai, and watch him closely! Botan, come…" Botan sighed, and turning back to pick up Youko's arm to help the frightful soldiers start to bound him, she looked up at him. A deep frown marked his handsome face. Flinging his arm to break from her grasp, he quickly jumped to the nearest tree branch. The whole mass of people stared and inhaled a breath. Looking up once, amethyst met gold, and she blinked in slight confusion. Youko's golden orbs preserved their locked gaze a little longer, before looking away.

"Men!" Shouted the commander, "Shoot now!" Suddenly pistols stroked the air at lightning speed, and Botan covered her ears as explosions of gunpowder and the clicks of guns rang and hovered in the air in close proximity to her ears. Opening her eyes, she found her cousin among the throng of cheering and happy, battle engaged soldiers that shot bullet after bullet with no care to save the kitsune's life at all.

" Hikaru!" Botan shouted to her cousin. Red eyes met hers and they were consumed with glee.

"Botan!" He began running up to her and enveloped her in an embrace, "I'm so glad you're safe and out of harm's way." He stroked her head lovingly. She pushed away from him.

"WHAT do you think you're DOING?" She screeched over firing bullets. Her cousin smiled softly at her.

"Why, I'm saving you from the dreaded Youko Kurama, that's what I'm doing." His eyes brightened warmly as he smiled at her. Botan frowned.

"But you promised! You said you wouldn't hurt him!" She pleaded. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"There is no need to make such deals for your life with thieves now that you are safe."

"No!" Botan shouted in agitation, "I didn't do it just to save **my** life…" But Hikaru was not listening anymore. A thick green smoke had been somehow inserted into the air, and coughing was heard everywhere as two soldiers shouted: "Where did he go?" and "He unleashed a deadly smoke, don't breathe it in!" Botan coughed and covered her mouth with her hand. Squinting through the haze, she listened for the kitsune's footsteps and searched for his pale frame in the dark of the smoke.

"Botan!" She heard her cousin scream. Suddenly she heard soldiers scramble to look for her. And in the commotion, she quickly grasped a soldier's sword from his sheath, and ran forward in the thick smoke. She could hear the soldier's remark about his missing sword and she heard people say: "It was the thief who took it!" but she ran on. Finally stumbling from the clearing, she crashed into something hard, and knocked it down. Dropping the sword, she landed on whatever she had hit. She immediately started to bubble an apology out, but was silenced when she saw who it was.

She flushed red as Youko rubbed his head and pushed her roughly off him. Getting up quickly, he began to limp slightly and then started running again. Botan reacted in an instant. Running to keep up with him, she breathlessly shouted to him: "Wait! I'll let you go, just please…give my bracelet back!" Youko stared insanely at her and his feet picked up their acceleration. He began to outrun her.

"Wait!" Botan shouted again. As the kitsune began to pass her, her mind jumped to a quick solution. _'I have to stop him.'_ Launching herself at the kitsune, she grabbed onto his torso, just as he had dangerously let himself look out of the corner of his eye at her. The impact provided the force, and it caused him to fall. They both plummeted to the ground, landing next to each other on their sides. Youko's body crushed Botan's arm, but she still held on to him, pulling him tighter so he wouldn't be able to get her off of him so easily. Youko stared in amazement at the small girl that clung to him.

"All I want is my bracelet, and then I'll leave you alone!" Botan demanded. Her eyes were closed, and her face had a determined look set on it. Youko's lust began to rise, but he suppressed it as he held up his hand to her face. The girl opened her eyes and saw the gnarled ornament and dark pearls of her bracelet, still worn on four fingers on the fox's left hand, excluding the thumb. Botan gingerly looked up at Youko, who just stared dully at the bracelet. Carefully, she sat up to a sitting position, and lifted the bracelet slowly from the youkai's fingers. Youko followed her action, but he instead first sat up, and then stood erect. Botan was forced to do the same as he did to be able to lift her jewelry from his fingers. Grumbling slightly, she stood up fully with a wrinkled nose and annoyed appearance. She began to tug the bracelet carefully, but swiftly from his hand. And just as she was able to get it completely from his grasp, she felt his hand touch her face and tilt it up. She could feel his hot breath sweep over her face, and the unique scent of roses fill the air. She closed her eyes as she felt his face approaching. Their faces touched and she waited for their lips to meet. The warmth of his breath tickled her face…

She waited…for what seemed a desperately long time before he inhaled a deep breath, and just pulled away, and looked down at her, with an unreadable expression. She looked up in wonder and perplexity, into the golden orbs above her. She quickly remembered to slip the bracelet off, and as she did, she felt a chill run rapidly towards her. The bracelet felt abruptly cold, almost as searing as ice.

A wind that carried a bitter iciness rushed around against them, and she could hear Youko starting to shift to flee. Botan was surprised as sadness gripped her heart as she heard him move past her. She turned to watch his retreating form and gasped as she saw the next series of action unfold. Instead of see of him sinuously moving through the trees, she saw something bright and cold looking plunge into his side. _'No!'_ Her mind cried as her eyes widened, _'An arrow? Or… a lance? No!'_ Running quickly over to the fox (who laid face down), she began to hear the disgruntled soldiers of her cousin's army approaching.

"I see them!" One said. Botan could hear them all approaching in her direction now. _'The cold wind from earlier must have cleared most of the smoke earlier.'_ She thought. Botan quickly scanned over the kitsune's body for any injury. None. Botan furrowed her eyebrows, and checked for blood. None. Shaking him gently, she whispered: "Youko…? Youko, wake up." Botan felt almost traitorous to her family as tears started to form and threaten to spill over the threshold of her eyelids.

And suddenly, Youko began to move. He moaned and coughed as blood rippled up his throat, and dribbled from his mouth. Botan was suddenly was filled with joy and relief. Helping him sit up, she leaned him against her shoulder to try to prop up his large frame.

"Youko," She asked, "Are you alright?" Botan bit her lip as she tried to hide the concern in her voice. Youko raised his head, and tiredly using two clawed fingers, rubbed his temples. But he remained silent. Botan watched him. She inhaled lightly and was about to ask him again how he was feeling when his eyelids flew open.

The female's breath that was supposed to feed a question…was turned into a sharp gasp.

"Youko…" She exclaimed, "You're eyes…they're…" Youko regarded her with a plain look, and amethyst met **blue**. Botan's eye dilated and she inhaled sharply. The soldiers were approaching closer now. Youko smiled softly, and cocking his head at her in clear amusement, he said (in a voice that was far too gentle and not as rich as the fox's): "You don't recognize me, Botan?" Botan gasped, and brought the hand that held her bracelet to her mouth. _'It can't be him, can it?' _she thought.

'Youko' eyed the bracelet.

"I see you still have the bracelet I gave you." He replied. Botan's tears of sadness converted to the emotion of joy, and she threw herself at the youkai to catch him in an embrace. By now the army had reached them, and their mouths were agape in surprise. Hikaru's face contorted into a jealous grimace. Botan spun around, gently letting the youkai out of her hold.

"Hikaru!" She shouted, "It's…Taisho…" Hikaru frowned. He placed a hand on Botan's shoulder, and twisted her to face him.

"Botan," he said, cutting into the girl's exclamation, "I really don't think you're well. Taisho is dead." His voice echoed with the overall characteristic of jealously, and a twisted, insistent lust for her to step away from the other man. Botan knitted her eyebrows at him. "Now," he started again with a sigh, "why don't you just let us arrest him? Look at him; he's a-" Hikaru's voice drowned out as his eyes glimpsed the kitsune. The fox had begun to shudder, and his eyes darted up a moment to glance at Botan's. Hikaru gave a small impulsive gasp as he caught sight of the youkai's **sapphire** eyes. Unexpectedly, the fox let out an agonizing groan, and dropped his head. His arms wrapped around himself and his breath became uneven and ragged. The silver mane that had always shone so softly on the demon began to blacken, and before reverting back to silver, and then black again. The colors clashed as the kitsune quivered. Botan's breath was caught in her throat, and tears chocked her.

"Taisho! What's happening? Are you OK!" She reached out with her hands and grabbed the man's shoulders. "Look at me!" She demanded, "Tell me what's wrong!" Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she trembled with sobs. The youkai that she adhered slowly opened his eyes, and glaring up at her, she saw they were…gold…. She gazed in alarm as he coughed up more of the crimson liquid, and inhaling a deep breath, the youkai's hair glinted into a pure silver again, and he glared up at her.

"Get out of me!" Youko screamed, adverting his gaze. Blood immediately began to flow from his mouth, and he chocked on it as the people around him stared in unknowingness of what to do. Botan's body froze up as her mind stood blank at the scene before her. Here he was…the infamous fox demon, Youko Kurama, who had just resembled her brother (or at least she thought so), and here, he, or they, were… choking…in pain. Botan bit her lip, and choked back tears. Carefully, she put her arms around the shuddering man before her. He stopped, breathlessly panting as he listened to what she whispered to him.

"Youko…or Taisho…or whoever you are, calm down. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

"Then…" came the rich, winded voice of the fox, "Make him…stop." He gasped for air as blood dripped from his lips, and his breathing carried on its heavy sway.

"Make who stop?" Botan whispered calmly. But no answer came. Youko let out a violent shudder, and entered a fit of bloody coughs. He leaned his weight on Botan, as she struggled to prop him up.

"Botan," Hikaru said beside her, "I think you should let us bind him now." Botan looked up at her cousin.

"But…" she pleaded. Hikaru shook his head. With a sob she squeezed Youko in an embrace, and whispered something to the fox demon, before stepping away. Frightful soldiers came to bind the fox's hands behind him, and surprisingly, he put up no fight as they kicked at him to get up. Botan winced as a soldier's foot came into contact with his flesh.

The soldiers surrounded his weak body as he got up, and Youko, looking up menacingly at all around him, was lead to walk behind the commander's guards. Amethyst met gold once as he scanned the troop. Blinking, he dropped his eyes from her gaze. Botan walked quickly to her cousin's side, and seeing her come, Hikaru turned to walk with her.

The mass walked at a moderate pace away with their valuable prisoner. But unbeknownst to them, Botan had whispered a salvation to Youko:

"_I'll get you out; don't worry about prison."_ She had murmured softly to him.

The moon beams of the night had started to peer through the cloud and smoke that darkened the night. The sound of the river washing its banks combined with the distant hum of the waterfall behind them created a false sense of security and secrecy. Youko blinked as his night vision began to activate, and looking at the moon above, through the pillars of smoke and cloud, he thought: _'So this is the day that Youko Kurama is caught.'_

Amethyst caught gold's glare in the half-light, and all else disappeared and was drowned out. In the girl's mind, all was mute.

* * *

Well there we go! I'll update as soon as I can… but I'm in the school musical…so rehearsal and HW takes up my time! But I've already started the next chap..so yeah! Please Read and review everyone! I'll chat w/ you all later! 

**Thanks to my beta readerTickle-me-blue! A round of applause to you! **

**Name game:** Congrats to **Frith, Lady Meru, **and **Fire Pheonix **who all got either the meaning of Botan or Hirkaru correct. I was thinking of a prize… like I could draw a pic of the character you named/or would request...but maybe you wanna see mi work first. So until I figure out for sure what the prize is, props to all smart people who got the names correct! Here's a cookie! gives you a cookie

**Name game:** Next contest: What does Youko (can I have the talent to draw him?) and Keiko mean?

**Reviewer notes:**

**Frith:** Hey! You must remind me of Phantom Kiss…I sent an email to you about it. Though I don't know when I can write! (I have rehearsal on the weekends now and all the tests at the end of the quarter!) And yes, Botan "peony" And of **course** Hikaru means "Sausage link" lol. Silly….

**Lady Meru**: No, but guessing using "hi" in Hikaru is smart! But you got Botan correct! And thanks for telling me you think mi fic is good! Thankies!

**Hiei'scutegirl**: Thank you! I hope you can read the rest (YES there is more…this is just the beginning! )

**Psychogirly** Lol, yeah…Youko is perverted… but it **is** funny! Lol.

**Silver-White-Tiger** Thank you!

**Helen**:Thank you!

**Fire Pheonix:** Thanks! And you're the only one who got it right! Hikaru does mean "light".

**Liz Inc**: Thank you! And I don't know…maybe he loves her…you'll just have to keep reading! lol

**tickle-me-blue** Thank you so much for beta-ing! You did a marvelous job! I can't be more thankful! Lol. I'll send the next chapter when I'm done!

**Read and Review! **

Nijiko-chan


	14. Forget

_Chapter 14: Forget_

Rain splattered the rooftop of the police commander's large estate. The rhythmic beating provided a calm, refreshing backdrop for Botan's pensive thoughts. The weather had become nasty. The blue-haired girl was lying on her back, her eyes looking up to the cream-colored ceiling. Her Master Kisho had just left. She laced her hands in front of her, and a bright stone flashed in the lamplight along with the gleam from the bracelet that encircled her wrist. A silver band locked around a finger of her left hand. The circlet reflected the warm light of the room, and the brightest spot of the ring was sparkling in the middle. The diamond flashed its brilliance.

Botan sighed…. The ring was as bad as a shackle. It bound her to a future she was unsure of, and had not even consented to having yet. She had just put it on moments ago. A favor she did for her cousin. Botan looked at the floor.

Hikaru had presented it to her right after she had woken up in her room. They had found her asleep at the police station, like the two guards that were to stand their vigil over the cell of Youko Kurama. It is only the day after he was captured, but the investigators have concluded that he has broken out, perhaps using Botan as a hostage to do so. She has said that she had no recollection of what had happened. And so it was concluded that Kurama must have used some sort of powder to change her memory…no one really knows. The investigators conclude that there probably was some sort of brainwashing act that went on, possibly rape, and theft, but Botan didn't think of that. The officials aren't really sure what really happened. But Botan should know. There was some sensation that she knew she was missing. Something had been lost during that time in the police station. But Botan couldn't remember what. Heck, she couldn't even remember what had happened the past week. She knew she had disappeared, kidnapped by the villain Youko Kurama. Though everyone said that the experience must have been awful…Botan felt as if it had something to offer. Perhaps it was the sensation she had lost when she had lost along with her memory. But…what was that sensation?

The door to the outside garden was open. The slanted roof prevented the walkway outside, (and Botan's room), from getting wet. The koi pond bamboo fountain outside was being filled again. The bamboo shoot that poured water into another bamboo container…began its process over. It would be a while before the container would again spill its contents into the awaiting koi pond.

"Youko Kurama…." Botan pondered. Her eyes gained a far-off look as she tried to recall the incident earlier that evening. But she just couldn't remember….

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Entering the police station, Botan forced a smile at the guard on duty. It was the day after she had returned home from being rescued by her cousin. Of all the officers available to stand duty, her luck must of have been off today to have this particular person on duty.

The man who sat slouching at the desk in front of her gave her a greasy smile.

"Good day Botan." His perfectly white teeth beamed at her and his dull tan eyes regarded her with a particularly sexual look. Botan had to control herself from grimacing and backing out of the doorway.

"Hello…Kazuki. Uhmm…I'm here to visit-"

"**Yes**," he interrupted with a sure smile, "Of course…you came to see…**me…**" His smile sparkled. Botan's nose wrinkled.

"Err…No. I was actually looking for…" Botan was once again interrupted. A loud _bang_ resulted from the man's hand making contact with the mahogany desk. The blow echoed in the quiet building and caused the blue-haired girl leap and flinch. Kazuki's face had darkened and become cross. A frown creased his countenance deeply.

"I know…" He replied, "I know you're looking for Youko." He looked up with his chestnut eyes at the maiden before him. "Do you know how many girls have already shown up?" Periwinkle eyes lit up. '_Other girls have come to see him?'_ Botan felt a deep abyss seem to form in the pit of her stomach; jealously quickly started to fill the crevice within. A small frown formed on her pretty face.

"Kazuki…please, just let me see him." Her grip tightened on the bowl in her hands. Kazuki looked at her suspiciously down her nose.

"Hmm…I don't think so." Botan's eyes blinked wide. Her hands shook slightly, and she had to bite her lip so that she could keep controlled and not drop the bowl of porridge.

"But..Kazuki! Why?" She exclaimed, a water layer beginning to swell over her eyes.

"Well…" he answered, taking out his gun and twirling the gun by the trigger dangerously, (so that Botan backed up for fear of being shot), "I got orders from Commander Hikaru to not let you anywhere near that fiend." Kazuki smirked and side glanced at Botan. Botan blinked at the mention of her cousin.

"But…" She began, shaking her head, "I don't care! I'm my own person, I can do what I want!" Kazuki scrunched up his nose at her in annoyance.

"But ain't you goin' to marry him anyways? You're as good as his…sadly. You got to do what he wants." Botan frowned.

"I am not Hikaru's, I am no one's." Kazuki began to chuckle.

"I'm sorry Botan, but you sounded rather un-lady-like right there. You sounded a bit too commanding to be an obedient young maiden." Botan stared daggers through her gaze at him.

Another chuckle now ricocheted through the open room, causing Botan to start and the guard to bolt up and spin around, armed with a gun.

"Whose there?" Kazuki demanded of the intruder. A figure stepped from the shadows of a corridor.

"Calm down, Kazuki. It's just me, Juro." A kind-faced man stepped out from the cloaking shadows. His rather small eyes and gentle smile was inviting to Botan after having to deal with his ignorant and arrogant partner and cousin. A smile lit the maiden's face.

"Ah! Juro! How are you!" Botan bounced up to the older boy who chuckled in amusement.

"Botan," He exclaimed, "I should be asking how you are! After the ordeal you have been through, what with Youko Kurama and all. How are you? You're not hurt or anything…right?" Botan quickly shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I'm not hurt. I'm just fine. It's nice to see you again. What have you been up to?" Through their conversation, the two seemed to have forgotten the third person in the room.

"**Excuse** me," Kazuki said as he stepped right in between the two conversationists, "But I believe that I was talking to Ms. Sasakawa **first**, dear cousin." He gave a childish and annoyed look over his shoulder at his kin. Juro just smiled apologetically back.

"Calm down Kazuki. We were just saying 'hi'." Juro explained. But Kazuki just ignored this, and instead mumbled something to the like of: "Sure you were…that's how things start…." Juro and Botan gave each other hopeless stares, both knowing that Kazuki was just hopeless.

"Anyways," Kazuki continued, "Botan was just telling me that she wanted to see Youko Kurama." He signaled over his shoulder to the room of prison cells. The statement made his brown-haired cousin flinch at bit. He looked over at Botan.

"But Botan…why would you want to see that monster again?" Botan's eyes dropped to the floor as she heard this. Her heart felt as if it had been hallowed out. _'So,'_ She thought, _'Even a kind, sweet boy like Juro would think him a monster.'_ Botan felt a bit depressed. The boys noticed the sudden changed, and pressed her to tell what was wrong, but Botan shook them off and flashed a rather fake reassuring smile.

"Well…anyways, Juro, Kazuki," Botan stated, looking at each boy as she said their names, "Could you please let me see Kurama? I really have to see him." The boys' chestnut eyes narrowed in suspicion, and studied her closely.

"Why do you have to see him so bad?" Juro asked, his eyes landing on the ceramic bowl in the girl's hands. "Did Hikaru give you orders?" Botan clutched her bowl tighter.

"No…" she answered, "But I just wanted to bring Kurama something to eat." She held up her bowl for them to see. "It's just porridge, can you please just let me in? I'll be quick." Botan stared at them. And brown eyes met extremely sincere, pleading lavender ones. They blinked from her gaze and sighed, scratching the backs of their heads in unknowingness. Finally, Kazuki gave an agitated puff of breath, and threw up his arms in defeat.

"Alright…just go. I don't want to think so hard, keeping duty at the police station is suppose to be an easy task. So just…go." He pointed toward the prison door before stalking over to his seat, and collapsing into it, as if he had done an awful amount of work. Botan smiled and quietly thanked him before moving towards the door. But she was halted as Juro threw an arm in front of her.

"I have to check if there are any keys or picks in the bowl first before you go in." Blinking innocently, Botan took the spoon in the porridge and stirred it around the bowl for him to see that all was clear. There wasn't anything in the bowl…but the porridge. Or was there?

Satisfied with the check, Juro took out his keys, and with a loud _'clank'_, unlocked the room filled with prison cells. The cells were all enormous compared to what was the average small cubicle. The bars seemed to have just been attached to an open room's ceiling and floor. There was a dirt walkway down the middle for people to travel, and the cells seemed to have been divided up into four cells by (the looks of it), placing a metal walls as to make four cells, two on either side of the walkway. Juro, Striding over to the closest compartment on the left, unlocked the door; Botan followed quickly behind. Looking into the chamber, she had to suppress a worried gasp at the sight of the fox demon.

Through the dusty, and unclear air of the cell room, the fox sat propped up against the wall. Shackles bound his wrists and ankles, attaching him to the stonewall. His long shiny hair lay partially dulled and bloodied, and blood was dried leaking from his mouth. Scars marked his right cheek and several places on his arms and legs, as well as his ankles and wrists. His eyebrows were somewhat furrowed in despair.

Botan used all her will power not to run to him and fling her arms around him, and to not burst into tears. Her throat felt as if it had dried up from her attempt to keep in her tears.

"Botan?" The sky-haired girl looked back, startled. Juro eyed her suspiciously. "I'll have to stay here with you while you visit him. You are the commander's daughter, anyways." Botan wanted to object, but finding no way to possibly tell him to leave, she simply nodded her head.

Something fast flew past her ear, and she followed the object with her trained eyes. The object popped before Juro's face, leaving a small cloud of glittering dust. And before he could gasp, he inhaled the powder, and fell to the ground. Panicked, Botan turned halfway around; becoming wary of the direction of the dust, and the still body to the other side.

"Botan…" A ghost-like voice echoed. Botan spun around to face toward the inside of the cell. Youko's head was slowly lifting. His hand could clench, and in his palm, she could see a seed of some kind, covered in a glittering dust.

"Youko…" Botan gasped in relief, "Are you ok? What did you make Juro inhale?" Large worried lavender eyes searched for his gold ones under the cascade of silver bangs. Narrowed gold eyes found hers.

"Sleeping powder." He replied hoarsely. Botan tried to make him sit up properly, and he moved up to sit straight.

"But…" Botan carried on, "But…why did **you** not want him to be here?" Youko smiled at her.

"Because," he said, locking eyes with her, "I sensed you. And I wanted you alone here." Botan blushed.

'_What…?'_

There was silence for what seemed like minutes. Botan looked away from the kitsune.

"So…" Botan began, "what…" (Botan stole a glance at the wounds again), "what did they do to you? Did they lash you?" Youko, too, looked down at his wounds.

"Yes." he answered.

"Oh." Botan replied. "What did they charge you with?" Youko looked over at the young maiden.

"Kidnapping and theft…perhaps even rape." Botan started.

"Kidnapping?" She questioned, shaking her head in fustration, "You didn't **kidnap **me! I came to you on my own. And rape? We never did anything!" Youko adverted his gaze.

"I know." He answered.

"So…" Botan said, swallowing in nervousness, "Did you tell them? About your innocence I mean…for the kidnapping." Youko's eyes darted back to her, staring into her amethyst ones. Botan waited, impatient, before repeating the question with a bit more fury and passion.

"Well…did you?"

"No." Youko answered, "Of course not." Botan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because…I didn't want to involve you anymore than you already are. If they knew you came to me, they could expect an alliance. And besides…they would never believe me." Botan was flushed, and she blinked away tears that had welled in her eyes from her outspoken fury. Botan looked away, and noticed her bowl on the ground. Trying to change the mood, she decided to change the subject.

"Uhh…Youko, here." She said, holding up the porridge bowl and smiling sweetly. "I brought you food, porridge." Youko regarded the food with a plain glance. Botan felt a bit rejected by such a petty acknowledgement. She picked up the spoon and taking it and running the excess off onto the rim of the bowl, she offered a little to him.

"Here, Youko, eat." Holding the spoon up to his mouth, she feed him quietly sip by sip, spoon by spoon, until there was almost none left, and he refused to eat. Botan placed the bowl back down onto the floor. Sitting on her heels, she sighed a calming breath, and reached into the folds of her obi, and took out a lockpick. Youko's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry that I didn't bring anything to help your wounds, but I couldn't bring much in, and at least this way I'll be able to get you out." Youko stared as she began fiddling with the shackles that chained him. Pushing the lockpick into the keyhole, she began twisting and yanking at the steel loops to see if she had been able to free the demon of his metal bands. As the shackles came off, Youko rubbed his wrists, and would occasionally flinch slightly as he touched the wounds on his limbs and body, and with every wince, Botan started in worry.

When all the steel bands had been removed, and Kurama was finally freed of his restraints, he slowly began to stand up. Failing the first time, the young girl approached him and helped the tall demon to his feet. To aid his tall frame in remaining erect, Botan helped hold up his torso, and his arm was thrown over her shoulders. Though she was of little aid compared to the full extent that he really needed to stand, she felt better as she stood beside him. Lavender eyes looked up and met with gold ones. She swallowed nervously.

"Thank you." He replied. Botan froze in her place. She blinked as she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. She looked to Youko, and saw that he could now stand quite well by himself. His eyes were unbetraying to whether or not he was really in a deep pain or not by standing without aid.

"Youko," Botan said, "Are you sure you're ok?" She turned completely towards him and gave Youko a worried look. Youko smirked at her, and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine." He said, stepping in closer to her. Botan blushed as she looked up into his amber eyes.

"Youko…?" The demon looked down at her, and somewhat frowned, a scrutinizing look upon his facial features. Botan furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" She asked aloud. Youko used his finger to tilt her face higher towards his own. Botan stared at him questioningly and cocked her head. Youko smiled sweetly at her, and started to bend down. He reached eye level with her, and stared into the girl's eyes. The youkai's gaze caused the girl to turn a deep red. Youko gave a rather cocky look as he neared his face further forward towards hers. Botan leaned back away a little. Youko persisted. Botan turned her face to the side to avoid being kissed. She lowered her lashes, as if to hide her eyes from his penetrating watch, and smiled. Trying to look anywhere but at him, she looked at their surroundings, though she still clung to his shirt. Youko wrapped his arms gently around her form. Botan smiled as she tilted her head towards him. Still eyeballing the cold stone cell, her eyes widened as her sight skimmed past the door leading to the previous room. Her lavender eyes met brown ones. Kazuki burst in. Youko's golden eyes enlarged. The two leapt quickly out of each other's arms.

"What is this?" Kazuki screamed, drawing his gun, "Botan, step away from him." Youko narrowed his eyes and frowned in disapprovement. Reaching into the tresses of silver atop his head, he yanked out a seed. Flipping his hand, the seed speedily grew into the renowned green whip that had become a trademark of the youkai. A red warning flag flew up as Botan watched the fox lower into a striking position. Her throat felt dry as she saw his eyes, steely and dangerous, meet those of the brown-haired man that had just burst through the doorway. Periwinkle eyes noted Youko's readiness to strike. Fear set into her mind.

A long drag of silence seemed to have ensued before Youko leapt toward the other man in what was really only a second since the man had intruded. Even with his slashes and cuts, Youko could still move much quicker than the average man. But, surprisingly to Botan, her mind raced much faster.

Youko raised his arm, the horned whip poised for attack. Kazuki barely had time move before freezing in his place, his body shivering in shock and horror. His eyes widened to its limit as he witnesses the Youko's body towering above his own. Brown eyes met glaring gold ones. Kazuki let out a scream as Youko tilted the whip and prepared to strike. Botan ran towards them.

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Youko squinted at the weak human before him. He practically reeked of fear and cowardliness. Youko noted Botan's somewhat shocked appearance, but ignored it. He tilted the whip towards the man; and in reaction, the man's face paled in terror and froze up. The side of Youko's mouth curled up maliciously. He began the whip's decent. The green vine-like object began to uncurl, and was headed straight down to open up the weak human's body into two halves. Adrenaline began to course through the fox's body. Blood lust began to become needy after being confined to such an isolated and cold prison cell. All necessities were now pointed toward survival and pleasure. And spilling blood…was fun enough. But the adrenaline was forced to put to a halt. Youko caught sign of pink eyes and blue hair, and his will stopped him.

Wide-eyed, Kurama stared down at the young woman before him. She stood firmly before the frightened man with her arms outstretched in protection. A stern look was soaked into her facial features and she stared back half pleadingly at the youkai. Youko frowned deeply.

"Botan…move aside." The demon roughly tried to move her out of the way. Botan's trained ears picked up a slight sound behind her, and quickly taking her hand back, she intercepted the handle of the knife that Kazuki was holding, keeping a tight grip on it. Kazuki gritted his teeth as her.

"No…Kazuki." She told him calmly. He began to sputter out reasons to stop the thief. Things like 'he's a criminal' and 'you're a traitor, you're the commander's daughter', 'this is undermining everything that the Ningen's Army has worked for', but to no avail. Botan only shook her head sadly at him and lowered her eyes. Taking the knife from him, she tossed it to the floor. Its wooden handle hit the floor with a sharp ringing sound. Youko waited impatiently and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The action reminded him of the previous day, through all the torture and incidents of this day, he remembered how Botan has protected him the same way from her cousin. And the thought that Botan had done it again…puzzled him. He met Botan's eyes. His patience was wearing thin.

"Botan…" He pursued, "Let him go. Let me kill him. He's seen you with me. And you wouldn't want that known, would you?" Leaning down and licking his lips, Youko stared down into Botan's eyes. The girl's cheeks became rouge. And she heard Kazuki grab her arm and drag her from the thief. Botan looked back at him.

"He's dangerous." Kazuki whispered to her, "But don't worry. I won't let him brainwash you anymore." He pulled out his gun again, and put a protective arm around Botan's shoulders. Flustered and quite embarrassed, Botan attempted to pull away from the man that clasped her. Freeing herself from his grasp, she turned toward him, and tried to calm him down. Of course, he refused to believe her fast-talking about 'Youko isn't such a bad person'. But of course, Kazuki wasn't one to believe that. Botan looked back at Youko, and could see clearly that he was loosing his patience. Turning back to the guard again, she once again began trying to convince him to let the fox go.

"Please, Kazuki… please just let him go." She pleaded, "Just let him go. I promise he's not that bad." Kazuki stared at her in disbelief and disgust. Trying to get past the 'crazed' woman, he tried to shove past her toward the demon. Botan had to struggle to keep him from getting past and hurting Kurama. But as he pressed on past her and Botan lost sight of his face, she saw a glitter flow into the air and surround them. Botan gasped and looked back to the fox. His hands were sparkling with the dust.

Wide-eyed, Botan asked: "Youko…what was that?" Inhaling the dust, she sneezed, causing the fox to smirk. Botan rubbed her nose before looking back up at the fox. Things seemed a bit fuzzy and out of focus. Her head seemed to dip and spin. Stumbling a bit, she wobbled toward Youko. Seeing the maiden groping for some kind of support, he held out his arm. Finding its strong frame, she clutched onto it and her balance became more stable. Botan's eyes were squinted shut, and her eyebrows furrowed. Botan's head felt as if her ears were about to pop and her head pounded and throbbed. Using his pointer finger to lift her chin, Youko lifted Botan's face to face his.

Golden eyes traced over her countenance. Botan's eyelids fluttered and opened. She appeared to be on the point of swooning.

"Youko…" She whispered, coughing as she felt a cleansing sensation beginning to bloom in her head and create a pounding sensation within her mind. Kurama made no move, but the silver ear atop his head perked and swiveled toward the doors entrance. Someone was approaching, though still far away. Botan's cherry eyes attempted to regain focus, she felt her body go numb, threatening to become a dead weight. She began to think that her eyes were not working correctly, for she again saw sapphire eyes where gold ones should have been on the fox's pale face. She clamped her eyes shut again as she felt drowsiness come over her. Botan felt Youko's face pressing against the side of hers.

"I'll come back one day." He whispered into her ear. Botan swore that the dust she had inhaled must had also caused auditory problems now. Youko's voice was no longer as rich and deep as it had been. It sounded vaguely like her brother's.

'_Taisho….'_

Opening her eyes, she was surprised that her vision was focused, but to such an extent that she saw things as if a bright light was focused wherever she looked. Looking at the fox's face, she saw gold orbs. She furrowed her eyebrows. Blue…. She had seen blue eyes on this same face before; blue eyes that reminded her so much of her brother. But seeing gold eyes…what did amber eyes mean to her? An impression of sneezing overcame her. But the sensation seemed to go straight to her brain, and she felt her body grow limp, and fall into strong arms.

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_Botan felt warm. _

'But whose arms are holding me?'_ She thought, _'Somebody's very warm.'_ The arms disappeared. Botan felt light… and she felt a sensation similar to as if she was sinking through a semi-thick goop. It easily parted to let her descend further into its embrace. Botan's brain felt tired, and she had her eyes firmly clasped in laziness. All she wanted to do was to relax; but a stab of pain at her pelvis caused her to stir and flail. Botan knew it. There was some nagging reason to not want to fall into the substance that now held her. There was no reason that she couldn't pretend that she had a normal life. A life with no villains, no troubles, no running away from enemies…just her family and her. A life that she could accept if she wanted to. But the question was… **if** she wanted to. _

_The pain at her pelvis continued to cause frenzy to her nerves, and send up red flags in her brain that she had to keep struggling to reach the surface from the goop. Botan wanted the demand to stop. **She wanted a normal life**. A life where she could just live peacefully as her father continued his work as the police chief. Where she could be with her brother, his smiling eyes beaming at her as she conversed with him on a day-to-day basis. She wanted a normal life, one day with a soul mate at her side. But as Botan began to ponder who this person might be, the sting at her abdominal area throbbed to a great magnitude. In annoyance, the teenager opened her eyes to see what it was that bothered her stomach region so. Her eyes cracked open._

_And the goop suddenly became thin, and she was falling faster. She was surrounded by water now, and she could no longer feel that there was oxygen. Botan was sure that there wasn't before, but the lack of the gas now was causing her mind to ache and scream for it to breathe. It desperately told her to break the surface of water. But it was too far off now._

_Botan was underwater. The coral reefs around her were barren and a dull brown. The pain continued. Her body's 'flight or fight' mechanism kicked in and told her to rush for air. She attempted to swim, but her body felt as if it had gained four people's weights. Botan felt tired. She didn't want to fight anymore. Yet she could feel that nagging annoyance at the back of her brain telling her to keep fighting…for some reason. Botan was torn. She wanted to give up, but instinct told her otherwise, to instead to fight for her future, and the future of others. The Others seemed important. Botan knew they were important. But they were unknown to her. Botan's eyebrows knitted in perplexity. _

_The maiden squinted through the deep dark water. A light colored figure was approaching. It seemed to be diving straight towards her. _

'Who is that?'_ She wondered, but the image disappeared, and Botan feel into a sleep._

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"Botan…" The blue-haired girl moved minimally. "Botan…!" Someone was calling her name. The person was propping her up in his arms. Botan's eyelashes flickered, and her eyes peeped open. Her cousin stood over her. They were in her room. She was in bed. Hikaru stared at her in concern. Botan sat up by herself, and rubbed her temples and moaned.

"What am I doing here?" She mumbled quietly.

"We brought you home," another deeper voice said. Botan looked at the source of the voice. Behind Hikaru, she was surprised to find her master standing with a smile.

"Master…" Botan whispered, "Where was I?" She cocked her head in confusion. The two men exchanged looks.

"So you too, don't remember." Master Kisho stated. The girl's eyebrows knitted. She looked to her cousin for an explanation.

"You were at the police station where Youko Kurama was being held. And you were knocked out. The two guards there don't remember anything of the past week. We now see that it is the same with you. What were you doing at the police station, Botan? And with a bowl of porridge…." Hikaru's army uniform shone with badges in the lamplight, portraying a heroic image of the handsome young man. Botan's eyes caught sight of them as she was pondering for an answer. Her head still throbbed, and it hurt to recall the reason **why** she was exactly at the station, (and for that matter, with food), or what the events were of the day. She put a hand to her forehead.

"It hurts to think." She said, "Why exactly is it that we can't remember anything?" The two men looked at each other again. Hikaru cleared his throat to speak.

"We believe that there was perhaps a confrontation, because there **were** multiple weapons strewn on the ground. But no rounds were fired from the guns, and no cuts or bruises from combat were found on the two guards. So we believe that there must have been something that prevented attack. Why and how the confrontation started is unknown. And that's why we're so concerned about you. Because of Youko Kurama's long history of rape and theft, we were worried that you might have been a victim of either or both." Botan's cousin shifted uneasily, his red eyes scanned Botan over. "So…are you ok?" Botan flushed a deep red.

"I-…" She began, "I…don't think I'm hurt. Or have been abused."

"Are you sure," her cousin pressed, "You weren't touched in anyway inappropriately or out of your comfort zone?" Botan turned from them and played with her hair (which was now free from her hair tie).

"No," She answered, somewhat embarrassed about what they suggested. Seeing Botan's flushed face, Hikaru smiled, and put his hand over hers. Botan gasped and spun toward her cousin in shock.

"That's good to hear, Botan. We can talk later, ok?" He was smiling sweetly at her, and it caused Botan even more embarrassment, especially because it was in front of her teacher who taught her to not let feelings interfere with her long-time goal of killing Youko Kurama.

"Ok." Botan replied, trying to slip her hand from her blonde cousin's, but to no avail.

"Do you want something to eat?" Her cousin offered.

"No." Botan repeated, still trying to escape Hikaru's grasp. She could see traces of disappointment in a suppressed frown on her cousin's face. She took one glance at her master before violently yanking her hand from the blonde. Hikaru looked somewhat cross and hurt, but tried to hide it by smiling.

"I'll be back later, Botan." He said. Before stalking out of the room, he dropped a strange box into her lap. "Just promise me you'll wear this." Then saying his farewell to her and Kisho, he exited the room and was heard later meeting up with a soldier down the hallway. Botan looked up into her master's stern dark brown eyes. They were unreadable as ever.

"Master…" She began, "Is there some reason that Hikaru is acting like this?" Kisho looked into her pink eyes for a few moments before replying: "Yes."

"Can you tell me?" She asked. Her sensei sighed.

"So you don't remember that either?" Botan cocked her head. Kisho sighed again.

"You're marrying him." The maiden's eyes widened. The very thought seemed sudden, but at the same time, curious and familiar…as if it affected someone else that she had known. A flash of amber eyes passed before her mental eye. It was peculiar…because somehow, she felt attached to the pair of amber orbs. They reminded her stunningly of Youko Kurama's. But Botan ignored the image that had flashed before her. She took it as a reminder of her goal of revenge.

"Kisho…" she began, "Have you told me before that I was marrying him?" Kisho's near black eyes lit up.

"No. But you knew before yesterday…. I know you can remember Botan. You could probably remember everything. Just work at it." Botan looked at her teacher in puzzlement.

"But…how do you know I can do this?" She inquired. Kisho just smirked.

"I know you can."

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The bamboo container that was essential to the fountain tipped, and spilled water into the pond. The koi swam away from the incoming water in a frenzy.

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YEAH! Another chapter done! Yes!

Read and Review! (Please? )

Sorry. I don't have time to write the Reviewer notes today, I have to leave to go to dinner with someone. But I'll make it up next time! Till then! Bye!


	15. Escape the Prison

Good Gracious it has been a LONG time since I've updated

Good Gracious it has been a LONG time since I've updated. And sorry to everyone who has waited for this story…but really I have SO many things I SHOULD be doing right now but I've decided to do this instead. :D

So I HAD finished this chapter on my other comp…. but it went haywire and basically the computer died and I had to do this chapter again. So here we go…Enjoy it everyone!

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_Chapter 15: Escape the Prison_

A shudder slithered its ugly course through Botan as she felt Hikaru's kiss graced her bare shoulder. A hiss escaped her mouth as his lips traced down from her shoulder into the space between her shoulder blades, and down the spine of her back. Each kiss was a fire that tingled against her skin. It happened almost every night now. After their love-making, her husband of three months would initiate these kisses that would send deadly chills rattling up her spine. She would curl into a ball and press her arms against her chest and hope that he would soon stop these lip-touches. Every night her hands clasped together awaiting the kisses to stop and every night an impression formed on her left wrist as the bracelet that encircled it, dug into the flesh. Her ring finger would be purple because she squeezed her hands so tight that the wedding band cut off her circulation. She felt his passion course through her body. And it was Hell every night.

Botan took relief as he stopped and wrapped his arms around her. She knew his desire for her affection. She shivered against him. She could not fulfill that desire. Hikaru shifted.

"What's wrong Botan?" he mumured into her blue mane.

"Nothing." She replied. It was always nothing. But that nothing would always cause her mind to wonder. There was something missing in her innocent existence of hers. What had she missed those weeks ago? That day when she had visited Youko Kurama in his cell, what happened to her memory? Why was it that she felt so cold every time Hikaru began his romantic games? Romance no longer interested her. It no longer heated her body up with an inner flame. What sensation had she lost that night in the prison that could possibly have changed her? Kisho had told her that she would be able to figure it out…but every time she would think back on that questionable night, her mind ached and throbbed. The only things that would ease the frustration that now marked her life were the roses in the garden. She had moved into her uncle's house and had taken the master bedroom with her cousin as it was customary after her cousin married and took over as the head of the house. A door in their room opened to the garden. Botan often found its roses to be the only thing that would cause her to feel free again: an escape from this prison of marriage to instead stand outside in the moonshine smelling the sweet fragrance of the red blossoms.

Hikaru was now half-asleep and Botan crawled out from under his arms. He awoke, and looked up at her slim form, smirking as he couldn't help but feel lucky to have her as a wife.

"What are you doing?" He murmured. Botan picked up one of her randomly discarded kimono from the floor. Her apparel had been hastily taken off by Hikaru. Quickly wrapping it around her nude frame she went towards the door to the garden.

"I'm going to the garden." She heard Hikaru give an annoyed sigh.

"Again?" Botan ignored him and assured him of her before-mentioned action. She walked out of the room barefoot. It was still dark outside, but she didn't mind. She wanted to enjoy the sunrise amongst the red rose flowers. She glided past the bamboo and into a secluded part of the garden to find the roses. The dew-littered, blood red petals of the flowers made her smile for some unknown reason, and as the wind came and threw up the dew from the roses and flung them with the flower's scent into her face, she was not annoyed. She felt refreshed and enjoyed the smell of crimson flowers. Her love of the smell had bloomed after her encounter with the "notorious Youko Kurama". The sun had begun its ascent in the paling sky, wiping the sky clean of the black.

'_Almost three months'_, Botan thought dully and monotonously,_ 'Three months of the same sexual attempts at night and to no avail. This will be the 91__st__ sun I see rise during my marriage.'_

--

The day had blossomed into a clear blue day. Botan, in her orange, flower-printed kimono, walked obediently and quietly a few paces behind her husband. The man walking besides her husband was talking to Hikaru:

"Are you mad?" He exclaimed, "Bringing your young wife with us on this mission? The chief allowed it?"

"He had to," Hikaru replied, "The girl just wouldn't give up. She also said that if she did not go, she would no longer bed with me. My father would have whipped her if I had not told him to do otherwise. I'd rather not lose potential for an heir and son." Hikaru left out the fact that they had been trying every night, and she had not once shown any signs of pregnancy despite all the remedies her aunt had tried on her. In truth, her family wondered if she was even fertile.

"But on **this** mission? To the whore-house? Leader," the man said, "This is addressing the capture of the very thief that took the girl: the dreaded Youko Kurama!"

And that was exactly why. That was exactly why Botan needed to go. She wanted to find what went amiss after the awful ordeal with the fox.

After several hours of argument, Botan succeeded in persuading her uncle to allow her to go with Hikaru on his mission. A soldier helped her into the carriage when she, her husband, and the accompanying guards had reached the vehicle. Seated upon the silk cushions, she and her husband did not talk. She propped her head upon her hand, and leaned her elbow on the square window sill. The guards were loading into the carriages behind them.

"Botan, don't try to be seen." Hikaru told her. She retracted her elbow from the opening, and a guard outside closed the curtain of the window so that Botan sat with her husband enveloped in darkness. She felt his red eyes penetrate her appearance.

Her disguise was so: red lips that looked as if kissed by roses, a clean face as pale as the moon, her eyes lined with black. Layers of rich, lavish-looking silk kimonos hugged her body: the lining was a alluring red, the second layer a peach color, and the top layer being a soft orange with darker and lighter pink flowers and lines. Her hair was worn down in the old fashion of days long ago, and the strands graced her cheekbone. She was a geisha for a day. Feeling her husband's gaze upon her, she gingerly moved, causing her wooden, flat-soled sandals to knock together, breaking the silence.

"You look beautiful Botan." Botan glanced up at him and replied monotonously: "Thank you." Hikaru continued to stare at her. She stared down. The sounds from outside and the intensity of Hikaru's red eyes did not affect her. She blinked and was un-phased. Hikaru leaned over to place a comforting soft kiss upon her lips.

'_Lips.'_

An image flashed by her mind. _Trees. Wet. Water drops. A silver mane cascading over her. 'Lips.' Green leaves. Her hand caressed his cheek. It was over. Golden eyes._

The images repeated themselves over and over again during the remainder of their trip, Botan struggling to piece together these fragmentations of the mind. Her head began to throb and then the images retreated. _'No,' _She thought, _'No, his eyes are red.' _Looking over, she saw Hikaru's ruby eyes peer at her from outside the doorframe. She blinked out of her reverie as Hikaru offered her his hand to help her out of the carriage. They had arrived at their destination quicker than she had anticipated. They were now within the shadier and more heavily demon-populated part of their town.

The evening's light was retreating outside. Brightly-colored lanterns were lit outside the brothels. The laughter of the geisha and their patrons within a looming building created an exhilarating air of pleasure and enjoyment that encircled the area. She recognized several guards who were disguised as wealthy patrons with their arms around pretty women dressed alike to Botan. Everyone entered and a woman from inside led the entire party to a private room.

Botan was lead to a cushion where she sat next to Hikaru at a low table. Geisha laughed and flirted with the police officers. Botan thought they seemed sufficiently distracted. Hikaru was smiling and his arm held Botan closely to him by the shoulders. The stage was set. Now they wait. He was supposed to be here. Botan closed her eyes, and ignoring the pain that shot through her mind, tried to remember.

'_In the rain…. Golden eyes….'_

--

Golden eyes sparkled in the dimming evening night. He had originally come to have a taste of sexual pleasure, but now he could smell something familiar. It was her smell, and it lay in the vicinity, curiously fresh. He felt her presence the closer he approached the sound of flirting and laughter. He licked his lips. She intrigued him so, and that captivation had a hold on him still.

Youko Kurama sprang out of the brush and landed in the opening that held the building renown for prostituting geisha: human and demon ones alike. Whipping his tail in an excited manner from side to side, he glanced about. The Ningen Army's gunpowder lingered in the air. There were spies.

Picking a seed from his hair, he threw it toward the bushes to his right. A guard fell out of one, stunned. A smirk tugged at Youko's lips. He stepped gracefully toward the fallen man. Youko's hand snagged him up by the neck. The man, conscious and still alive, could do nothing more but move his eyeballs and peer down at the fox demon. His muscles refused to move as the seed's paralysis took hold of his body. Youko smiled. He yanked his hand back and thrust it forward into the man's larynx. Flesh was punctured. A mess was left upon the ground. Red mingled with Youko's white, stone-cold hands. A small splatter of red swept across Youko's ghostly face. Dropping the man, he lowered his eyes with a pleased smirk, and lifted his bloodied fingers to his lips. Sticking out his long tongue, he lapped at the crimson dripping from his claws.

"It's sweet."

--

The hardy, yet joyous crowd before her was vulnerable, Botan thought. There were quite a few that had reached the level of intoxication that restricted how they could function. They were not even supposed to have been given alcohol, but the carefree atmosphere had gotten to the best of Hikaru, and he let them have a few drinks. A few turned into more. The guard that was talking to Hikaru earlier that day offered Botan a drink, and after taking a few gulps, she felt her throat starting to tingle and feel warm, and stopped drinking. Her husband did not drink at all. He had lost some of the seriousness he had had earlier, (which was clearly displayed with his slouching), but he kept his mind on the mission. A man approached her husband, and sitting next to him, he began to tell the blonde-haired commander something. Botan strained her ears to hear.

"Leader," A man whispered to her husband, "Youko was spotted." The message made her husband tense and after a few moments, he asked the man:

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Hikaru's eyebrows furrowed. 'Come with me.' He said to Botan. Botan stood up and began to walk with him out the door. At the doorway he called back: "My men…it is time I take in the festivities and bed a certain special female." Hearing this Botan wrestled his arm from her shoulders and turned to face him. He winked at her. His men cheered.

"Take me to bed?" She exclaimed in a hushed tone when Hikaru had successfully pulled her into the hallway, "What?" Her shoulders rose in fury and her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Calm down my dear. That is the signal for my men to know that Youko is in the building." Botan's shoulders relaxed, but the stern look she gave her husband stayed.

"I want you to stay in the other room to be safe, Botan." Botan's eyebrows furrowed as her cousin kissed her forehead. She wanted to see the renowned fox demon. She let herself be led to an office-like room, and sat upon a cushion, face calm, yet eyes ablaze with annoyance at her cousin's prevention, (though with good intentions), of her meeting with the kitsune . A single lantern lit the room in the dark of the evening

"This is the brothel owner's office. It's the innermost room, thus the safest. Wait here until I get back," Hikaru told her, "And whatever you hear or see, do not move from this room. I have guards placed outside the door to insure your safety." Botan nodded, and when he placed a swift kiss upon her lips, she blinked; eyebrows furrowed, and looked down as he walked out. When the door closed, she looked up and scanned the room.

It was quite large. There were a few tapestries and old scrolls in some ancient demonic script hanging on the innermost wall from the door. There were plants everywhere, which created an air of being secluded in a jungle of bamboo and ferns. A desk sat in the center of the room, littered with papers. There was a small pool of water lined with rocks in front of one scroll depicting a goddess. She was nude and held a branch of berries, perhaps a goddess of some demonic religion.

A scream pierced the night. Botan started. It echoed and was followed by more screams, of men and women alike. A sound resembling a fierce wind bounced about the building. Botan couldn't place its source. The screams were closer. She saw a body flung against the wall that separated her room from the one next to it. The screen wall ripped and she saw the man who had been flung; he bled heavily from his neck. The force of the blow had made the lantern in her room blow out.

Marriage had not changed our blue-haired heroine. Her eagerness for killing Youko had not disappeared, but instead, somewhat subsided into curiosity about the dreaded encounter with him that she couldn't recall. Lithely, she reached into her obi, pulling out a dagger that she kept there for protection.

It was disastrous in the room next to the office. From the hole in the wall, she saw the corpses of geishas, of guards, but she did not see the one of her cousin, which caused a small sigh of relief to ripple through her. But her comfort did not last long. She heard her cousin's voice, and then his scream ricochet down the hallway. Her pupils contracted. A body was flung down the hallway and hit the wall outside the door to the office. Botan recognized the guard from the afternoon who had been talking to her cousin.

"Please…" The familiar voice said, "Please…spare me." A blood-curdling screech ensured, and she trembled in the deadly silence that followed. The dull pats of footsteps started to sweep towards her door. The door was thrust aside, and in the darkness of the night and the hallway, a silver figure stood. Golden eyes met pink ones. They held each other's gaze. He was blood-spattered. The golden eyes were blinding, and in the deafening silence, an hour seemed to have passed in their shared glance. A whisper escaped Botan's lips:

"Youko…."

--

Yay…so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It has been a long time I know. I'm sorry. The next chapter is almost ready, so please Read and Review!

Thank you for the support! :

Nijiko


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